Halogen Bonding in Perovskite Solar Cells: A New Tool for Improving Solar Energy Conversion

Hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskites (HOIHPs) have recently emerged as a flourishing area of research. Their easy and low-cost production and their unique optoelectronic properties make them promising materials for many applications. In particular, HOIHPs hold great potential for next-generation solar cells. However, their practical implementation is still hindered by their poor stability in air and moisture, which is responsible for their short lifetime. Optimizing the chemical composition of materials and exploiting non-covalent interactions for interfacial and defects engineering, as well as defect passivation, are efficient routes towards enhancing the overall efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Due to the rich halogen chemistry of HOIHPs, exploiting halogen bonding, in particular, may pave the way towards the development of highly stable PSCs. Improved crystallization and stability, reduction of the surface trap states, and the possibility of forming ordered structures have already been preliminarily demonstrated.