Nucleation and crystallization manipulations of tin halide perovskites for highly efficient solar cells

Abstract

Over recent years, the efficiency of lead-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has exceeded 25%, which confirms their significant potential in the photovoltaic field. However, the toxicity of lead is still one of the critical hurdles. Therefore, more attention has been paid to tin halide PSCs, whose certified efficiency has exceeded 14% recently. Despite the tunable bandgap, high theoretical efficiency, and large carrier mobility, tin-based PSCs still face the problem of uncontrollable and rapid crystallization, which will influence the fabrication of high-performance perovskite films and inevitably impede the future development of solar cells. In this review, we introduce the fundamental crystal mechanism for tin-based perovskites. Then, up-to-date studies on crystallization control are discussed. Finally, we will give a summary and overview for the further development of tin-based PSCs.