Scanning atmospheric-pressure plasma jet treatment of nickel oxide with peak temperature of ∼500 °C for fabricating p–i–n structure perovskite solar cells

Scanning atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) treatment of nickel oxide with a peak temperature of 500 °C was performed for fabricating p–i–n structure perovskite solar cells (PSCs). APPJ post-treatment increases the haze of NiO on FTO glass, leading to enhanced light scattering in PSCs that in turn improves the cell efficiency. APPJ treatment on NiO also improves the wettability to facilitate the follow-up deposition of CH(3)NH(3)PbI(3). This also leads to better PSC performance. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates that APPJ treatment results in fewer C–N bonds and reduced NiAc(2) content, suggesting more complete conversion of the liquid precursor into NiO. With three APPJ scans, the average PCE improves from 11.91% to 13.47%, with the best-performing PSC achieving an efficiency of 15.67%.