High Open-Circuit Voltages in Lead-Halide Perovskite Solar Cells - Experiment, Theory and Open Questions

TL;DR

This paper reviews the high open-circuit voltages in lead-halide perovskite solar cells, emphasizing their slow recombination rates, current understanding, experimental data, and open questions for future device design.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the state of knowledge on recombination and voltages in lead-halide perovskites, highlighting key open questions for future research.

Findings

Lead-halide perovskites exhibit slow recombination rates.

High open-circuit voltages are achievable despite solution processing.

Open questions remain about recombination mechanisms and device optimization.

Abstract

One of the most significant features of lead-halide perovskites are their ability to have comparably slow recombination despite the fact that these materials are mostly processed from solution at room temperature. The slow recombination allows achieving high open-circuit voltages when the lead-halide perovskite layers are used in solar cells. This perspective discusses the state of the art of our understanding and of experimental data with regard to recombination and open-circuit voltages in lead-halide perovskites. A special focus is put onto open questions that the community has to tackle to design future photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices based on lead-halide perovskites and other semiconductors with similar properties.