Tin (IV) oxide (CAS number 18282-10-5), also known as stannic oxide, is a metal oxide widely used as an electron transporting material in solar cells. Tin oxide shows high electron mobility up to 260 cm2/V·s and a bandgap of 3.6 – 4.0 eV.
The HOMO level of tin oxide powder is typically at −7.36 eV, resulting in a large valence band offset at the interface between the perovskite and the tin oxide layer. This is desirable to block hole transport and preventing charge recombination, resulting in higher power conversion efficiency.
SnO2 has attracted much attention in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its abundant source, low cost, and high theoretical capacity. SnO2/Co@C nanocube LIB anodes exhibit a highly reversible discharge capacity of 800 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 200 mA g−1 and excellent cycling stability with a retained capacity of 400 mAh g−1 after 1800 cycles at 5 A g−1.
Perovskite solar cells using tin oxide as the electron transport layer have achieved a champion PCE of 24.63%, accompanied by a short-circuit current density (JSC) of 25.49 mA/cm², an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.17 V, and a fill factor (FF) of 82.56%. The particle-to-particle interaction of tin oxide can be improved by adding phase-transfer materials, such as phenyltrimethylammonium chloride, which enhances the coverage on flexible substrates and ultimately improves the PCE.
−7.36 eV (HOMO)
−3.78 eV (LUMO)