Abstract
The field of photovoltaics is undergoing a surge of interest following the recent discovery of the lead hybrid perovskites as a remarkably efficient class of solar absorber. Of these, methylammonium lead iodide (MAPI) has garnered significant attention due to its record breaking efficiencies, however, there are growing concerns surrounding its long-term stability. Many of the excellent properties seen in hybrid perovskites are thought to derive from the 6s2 electronic configuration of lead, a configuration seen in a range of post-transition metal compounds. In this review we look beyond MAPI to other ns2 solar absorbers, with the aim of identifying those materials likely to achieve high efficiencies. The ideal properties essential to produce highly efficient solar cells are discussed and used as a framework to assess the broad range of compounds this field encompasses. Bringing together the lessons learned from this wide-ranging collection of materials will be essential as attention turns toward producing the next generation of solar absorbers.
Highlights
The field of photovoltaics is undergoing a surge of interest following the recent discovery of the lead hybrid perovskites as a remarkably efficient class of solar absorber
In order for photovoltaic cells to compete with fossil fuels in utility-scale power generation, it is necessary to reduce the total cost of solar energy, either through increased efficiencies or lower cost per photovoltaic cell.[4]
A wide range of compounds comprising Pb2+, Sn2+, Ge2+, Sb3+, and Bi3+ cations are currently of interest for their solar absorber ability. In this Review we focus on this emerging field of ns[2] containing solar absorbers
Summary
The meteoric rise in the efficiency of MAPI has fuelled intense interest among a broad community of physicists, chemists, and engineers and has brought together the lessons learned in over 20 years of development of related dye-sensitised and organic photovoltaic cells.[35,36] Brandt et al have recently proposed several key properties likely to give rise to highly efficient and defect-tolerant solar absorbers, including a large dielectric constant, small effective masses, a valence band maximum composed of antibonding states, and high levels of band dispersion.[37] Materials containing post-transition metals with an ns[2] electronic configuration (i.e. an N-2 oxidation state) possess many of these properties due to their soft polarisability— leading to high Born effective charges—and large spin–orbit effects, which act to increase the bandwidth of the conduction band.[38,39] As such, a wide range of compounds comprising Pb2+, Sn2+, Ge2+, Sb3+, and Bi3+ cations are currently of interest for their solar absorber ability. We look towards the future of generation solar absorbers
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