Enhancing perovskite solar cells and X-ray photodetectors with hybrid MoSe₂@CNT composites: A path to improved efficiency and sensitivity

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are one of the best renewable energy options due to their exceptional efficiency in converting sunlight into electrical power. Here, we examine the effects of hybrid molybdenum diselenide (MoSe₂) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as electron transport layer (ETL) embedded with pure (Aftab et al., 2023; Aftab et al., 2023) [6,6]-phenylC61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) layer structured PSCs and x-ray photodetectors. We explore how MoSe₂@CNT composites can improve key performance indicators in PSCs. In comparison to pure PCBM (PCE = 10.08 %), the power conversion efficiency (PCE) increases to 13.87 % with the addition of the composite material MoSe₂@CNT in ETL. The performance comparison of various device configurations reveals that key metrics are generally improved by the addition of MoSe₂ and CNT components. MoSe₂ improves PCE and reduces sheet resistance (RS) by increasing V_OC and J_SC, whereas CNT consistently improves FF, PCE, and RS, with the best results at a 20 % MoSe₂@CNT concentration. This development highlights the revolutionary potential of MoSe₂@CNT composites in raising PSC efficiency, an essential stage in the hunt for durable and dependable solar energy conversion technologies. Additionally, an exceptional sensitivity of 4.51 mA/(Gy·cm²) was attained by the assembled X-ray photodetector with MoSe₂@CNT (20 %)/PCBM electron interfacing transport layer. These composites also exhibit promising properties for X-ray detectors and PSCs, indicating their versatility for a range of energy conversion and electronics applications.