ABSTRACT
Since 2012, a new family of solar cell technologies based on hybrid perovskite absorbers has emerged in the world of photovoltaics and has evolved at an unprecedented pace. This new research direction was originally initiated with the use of (CH3NH3)PbI3 as a dye replacement in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) (Im et al. 2011) and now such compounds are considered a serious competitor materials platform to silicon-based technologies. Over this short period of time the efficiency of perovskite-based solar cells has reached a certified value of >22.0% (Conings et al. 2014; NREL 2016). Most astonishing is the fact that extremely high efficiencies are achieved regardless of the device design as long as the light-absorbing medium is one of the Pb-based hybrid organic–inorganic halide perovskites (NREL 2016; Stoumpos et al. 2013; Zhao and Zhu 2013). This fact illustrates how rich the field is and similarly reveals that we are just at the beginning of a scientific revolution. Owing to these rapid developments and remarkable facts, the editors of Science magazine listed perovskite solar cells (PSCs) among the top 10 scientific breakthroughs of the year 2013 (Science Focus 2013). It is furthermore expected that the rapid development rate and extreme simplicity of PSCs fabrication will lead to commercialization in the very near future (Hodes and Cahen 2014; Kojima et al. 2009; Leitens et al. 2015; Nayak et al. 2012; NREL 2016; Peplow 2014; Science Focus 2013; Service 2014; Snaith 2013).
