Climate change and its consequences are becoming increasingly obvious, and solar cells that convert the sun’s energy into electricity will play a key role in the world’s future energy supply.
Common semiconductor materials for solar cells, such as silicon, must be grown via an expensive process to avoid defects within their crystal structure that affect functionality. But metal-halide perovskite semiconductors are emerging as a cheaper, alternative material class, with excellent and tunable functionality as well as easy processability.
In APL Materials, from AIP Publishing, researchers present a road map for organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite semiconductors and devices.
Perovskite semiconductors can be processed from solution, and a semiconductor ink can be coated or simply painted over surfaces to form the desired film. This can be incorporated into semiconductor devices, such as solar cells or light-emitting diodes.
Read more at American Institute of Physics
Image: Cesium-containing triple-cation perovskite solar cell. (Credit: Marius Franckevicius)