[Perspective] Powering up perovskite photoresponse
The most notable scientific milestone in photovoltaics in the past several years is the emergence of solar cells based on hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite materials. While conventional silicon and thin-film solar cells have seen steady improvements in their power-conversion efficiencies (PCEs) spanning several decades, hybrid perovskite solar cells have already reached a certified 22.1% PCE (1), matching conventional solar cell technologies in only a few years since their first device architecture was tested. Setting the stage for a disruptive technology in the field of photovoltaics is the seemingly winning combination of properties of hybrid perovskite materials: high absorption coefficient and a tunable energy band gap in wavelengths ideal for solar cells; long diffusion lengths and lifetimes for photogenerated charge carriers, which easily dissociate into efficiently collected electrons and holes; Earth-abundant elemental composition; and their compatibility with low-cost and low-temperature fabrication methods (2–5). On page 1288 of this issue, Blancon et al....