Perovskite solar cell

A perovskite solar cell is a type of solar cell which includes a perovskite structured compound, most commonly a hybrid organic-inorganic lead or tin halide-based material, as the light-harvesting active layer. Perovskite materials such as methylammonium lead halides are cheap to produce and simple to manufacture.

Solar cell efficiencies of devices using these materials have increased from 3.8% in 2009 to 22.1% in early 2016, making this the fastest-advancing solar technology to date. With the potential of achieving even higher efficiencies and the very low production costs, perovskite solar cells have become commercially attractive, with start-up companies already promising modules on the market by 2017.

The performance of metal halide perovskite solar cells has made rapid increases in energy conversion efficiency, improving from under 4% efficiency in 2010 to a record efficiency of 22% in 2016. Because of the high absorption coefficient, a thickness of only about 500 nm is needed to absorb solar energy. In July 2015 major hurdles were that the largest perovskite solar cell was only the size of a fingernail and that they degraded quickly in moist environments.

The name 'perovskite solar cell' is derived from the ABX₃crystal structure of the absorber materials, which is referred to as perovskite structure. The most commonly studied perovskite absorber is methylammonium lead trihalide (CH₃NH₃PbX₃, where X is a halogen atom such as iodine, bromine or chlorine), with an optical bandgap between 1.5 and 2.3 eV depending on halide content. Formamidinum lead trihalide (H₂NCHNH₂PbX₃) has also shown promise, with bandgaps between 1.5 and 2.2 eV. The minimum bandgap is closer to the optimal for a single-junction cell than methylammonium lead trihalide, so it should be capable of higher efficiencies. The first use on perovskite in a solid state solar cell was in a dye-sensitize cell using CsSnI₃ as a p-type hole transport layer and absorber. A common concern is the inclusion of lead as a component of the perovskite materials; solar cells based on tin-based perovskite absorbers such as CH₃NH₃SnI₃ have also been reported with lower power-conversion efficiencies.

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