Perovskite Solar Cells: From Materials to Devices

TLDR

Perovskite solar cells based on organometal halide absorbers have shown rapid efficiency gains—from 9.7 % in 2012 to 19.3 % in 2014—due to strong absorption and balanced charge transport, yet their underlying working principle remains unclear. This review aims to clarify the fundamentals of perovskite materials, including opto‑electronic and dielectric properties, to better understand high‑performing perovskite solar cells. It also surveys fabrication techniques and device architectures designed to further improve perovskite solar cell performance.

Abstract

Perovskite solar cells based on organometal halide light absorbers have been considered a promising photovoltaic technology due to their superb power conversion efficiency (PCE) along with very low material costs. Since the first report on a long‐term durable solid‐state perovskite solar cell with a PCE of 9.7% in 2012, a PCE as high as 19.3% was demonstrated in 2014, and a certified PCE of 17.9% was shown in 2014. Such a high photovoltaic performance is attributed to optically high absorption characteristics and balanced charge transport properties with long diffusion lengths. Nevertheless, there are lots of puzzles to unravel the basis for such high photovoltaic performances. The working principle of perovskite solar cells has not been well established by far, which is the most important thing for understanding perovksite solar cells. In this review, basic fundamentals of perovskite materials including opto‐electronic and dielectric properties are described to give a better understanding and insight into high‐performing perovskite solar cells. In addition, various fabrication techniques and device structures are described toward the further improvement of perovskite solar cells.