Defects chemistry in high-efficiency and stable perovskite solar cells

It is the defects that determine the physicochemical properties and photoelectrical properties of the corresponding semiconductors. Controlling defects is essential to realize high-efficiency and stable solar cells, particularly in those based on hybrid halide perovskite materials. Here, we review the defect chemistry in perovskite absorbers, most of which take effects at grain boundaries and surfaces. These defects impact kinetics and/or thermodynamics during the courses of charge recombination, ion migration, and degradation in the corresponding devices, which inevitably influences their efficiency and stability. The effective suppression of harmful defects in perovskite photovoltaics not only reduces non-radiative recombination centers to improve the efficiency, but also retards their degradation under aging stresses to dramatically improve their long-term operational stability. Finally, the future challenges with regard to the in-depth understanding of defects formation, migration, and their passivation are presented, which shed light on realizing high-efficiency and stable perovskite optoelectronics.