Recent progress on stability issues of organic-inorganic hybrid lead perovskite-based solar cells

Over the past few years, substantial progress has been made in research on organic-inorganic halide perovskite solar cells. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells has been boosted from 3.8% in 2009 to 22.1% in 2016 due to the excellent intrinsic properties of organic-inorganic hybrid lead perovskite, such as a high light absorption coefficient and long carrier diffusion length and the intensive efforts made to optimize film deposition and device fabrication techniques. In addition to the high PCE, the perovskite solar cells take advantage of low cost and solution processability, making them a promising photovoltaic technology to date. However, a number of obstacles limit their commercialization, such as long-term device stability and the toxicity of lead components. In this mini-review, we highlight the instability issues of organic-inorganic hybrid lead perovskite solar cells and then turn to a discussion of corresponding solutions.