Band gap engineering of tin halide perovskite materials for sustainable energy conversion application

Perovskite crystal structures were synthesized during 1980-90, but their optoelectronic properties and applications were studied in 2009. There are a number of perovskite structures and series that have been employed in solar cell applications. The series of hybrid tin halide perovskite structures have narrow band gap and unique optoelectronic properties essential for solar cell applications. Methyl ammonium tin halide (MASnI3; MA=CH3NH3 +) was employed in the application of lead-free (Pb-free) perovskite solar cells. The developed perovskite solar cell was found highly efficient and exhibited good power conversion efficiency ~6%. It was therefore concluded that tin halide perovskite structures possess excellent properties and can be the perfect light-absorbing material for applications of Pb-free perovskite solar cells. The band gap of the perovskite structures can be tuned either by changing the halide composition or cationic group. Previously, researchers prepared a series of tin halide perovskites with changing halide and cationic groups. The prepared tin halide perovskite structures exhibited good performance in terms of power conversion efficiency and open circuit voltage. In this chapter, the recent developments with band gap engineering in the preparation of tin halide perovskite structures are addressed. In addition, future prospects for the tin halide perovskite solar cells are described.