Surface Plasmon-Assisted Transparent Conductive Electrode for Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells

Flexible perovskite solar cells (PeSCs) possess the extraordinary potential in the applications of portable power sources and wearable electronics because of their superiorities in ease fabrication and efficient power conversion. These features are reinforced when a transparent conductive electrode with good flexibility is achieved. A unique electrode based on Ag periodic mesh (APM) perforated with hexagonal close-packed nanoholes is proposed, showing a square resistance of ≈19.0 Ω sq⁻¹ and optical transmittance of 66.0% in the whole visible region. PeSCs made on the optimal APM electrode with a rigid glass substrate achieve over twofold of photocurrent as compared to the counterpart on flat Ag film, resulting in a maximum power conversion efficiency of 17.06%. Experimental and theoretical characterizations indicate that the performance enhancement is mainly ascribed to the surface plasmon-assisted extraordinary transmission enhancement and the scattering of incident light. Furthermore, the APM electrode enables PeSCs that are not only efficient but also highly flexible against bending deformation. Flexible PeSCs on plastic remain 90% of their initial efficiency after 1500 bending cycles with a bending radius of 3.0 mm. It is anticipated that the APM electrode with unique light coupling abilities provides a facile design route to achieving efficient and flexible PeSCs.