Chronological Development in Power Conversion Efficiency of Hybrid Halide Perovskite-Based Energy Harvesters

With remarkable progress in power conversion efficiency (PCE), hybrid halide perovskite (HHP) solar cells have emerged as the most promising choice for next-generation solar cells. The attainment of 28% PCE is a collaborative result of multifaceted scientific endeavors in optimizing materials (for absorber layer, HTL, ETL and back contacts), cell design (mesoporous, planar, inverted and regular) and cell manufacturing procedures (deposition processes, coating procedures, annealing temperatures and encapsulation). Besides that, strategies targeting degradation issues and inherent instability of perovskite materials have been playing a pivotal role in paving the way for making durable and commercially viable devices. This article encapsulates the progress of three major cations (Methylammonium (MA), Formamidinium (FA), and Guanidinium (GA)) based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) from their beginning to present advancements, highlighting the major achievements in efficiency enhancements and outlining remaining challenges that need to be surmounted to fully realize their potential to become a leading photovoltaic technology. A brief description of various theoretical and experimental approaches for designing, fabrication, and characterization of these PSCs has also been presented. Understanding the chronological efficiency progression of HHP solar cells can offer critical insights for future research directions, leading efforts to overcome current challenges and illuminating the path for commercial availability.