Title:Tin as an Emerging Surrogate for Lead-free Perovskite Solar Cells
Volume: 11
Issue: 6
Author(s): Arunkumar Prabhakaran Shyma, Andrews Nirmala Grace, Vimala Raghavan, George Jacob and Raja Sellappan*
Affiliation:
- Centre for Nanotechnology Research, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, 632014,India
Keywords:
Tin based perovskite solar cell, compositional engineering, additive aided modification, solar cell, oxidation
stability, lead toxicity.
Abstract: Perovskite-based photovoltaic technology has gained significant attention owing to its tunable
electrical and optical properties. Among them, lead-based perovskites are considered as the most
efficient one that delivers maximum power conversion efficiency with ample stability. In the current
scenario, the perovskite-based solar cells (PSCs) can be classified into two main categories, i.e. highly
efficient lead-containing and underperforming lead-free based. Even though lead-based PSCs delivers
high efficiency, it loses the charm in the context of lead toxicity. The toxicity issue related to lead
stands as a barrier to the commercialization of lead-based PSCs. To date, various materials have been
prepared and implemented as an alternative to lead in the absorber layer. Tin (Sn) based perovskites
are explored as an alternative absorber material owing to their photovoltaic properties that are comparable
to lead. Tin-based perovskites exhibit some drawbacks, such as rapid crystallization, lack of oxidation
stability, etc. Many research groups have addressed the problems regarding tin-based perovskites
and modified its structural and morphological aspects through compositional engineering and
functional additives and managed to obtain an efficiency of around 10%. In this review, we portray the
state of the art developments of tin-based PSCs and their future perspectives.
