Hybrid Organic/Inorganic and Perovskite Solar Cells

In this chapter, we describe the various hybrid organic/inorganic solar cells with a focus on perovskite solar cells. We present a brief introduction to the topic of solar cells in general and our definition of hybrid solar cells. As dye-sensitized and solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells are covered in detail in other chapters of this book, we only provide a short description of the fundamental working mechanisms of dye-sensitized, solid-state dye-sensitized and extremely thin absorber solar cells as a necessary background for the other parts of this chapter. We then focus, in detail, on the current understanding of perovskite solar cells such as the crystal structure, the optical and electronic properties of perovskite films, their formation, and current device architectures. Additionally, we look at the specialty of perovskite solar cells: The often-observed hysteresis effect when recording current density–voltage curves. We conclude with technological aspects, such as the preparation of flexible perovskite solar cells, their low-temperature processing, and degradation mechanisms. We finish our chapter with a brief mentioning of hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells.