Perovskite

Table of contents

Perovskite (discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia by Gustav Rose in 1839 and is named after Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski 1792–1856) is a calcium titanium oxide mineral composed of calcium titanate (CaTiO3).

Its name is also applied to the class of compounds which have the same type of crystal structure as CaTiO3 $$(^{\textrm{XII}}\textrm{A}^{\textrm{2+VI}}\textrm{B}^{4+}\textrm{X}^{2-}_{3})$$

known as the perovskite structure, which includes many synthetic perovskites: many of them are dangerous for humans and the environment.

The symmetry of the crystal is orthorhombic. Crystals are typically cubic, octahedral or combinations of these basic forms. In reality, the symmetry of perovskite and some other minerals of the same group is pseudocubic, because it is slightly distorted with respect to the ideal structure.

Research

• A simple one-step method with wide processing window for high-quality perovskite mini-module fabrication. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2021.02.012 The team invented a one-step spin coating method using sulfolane, a liquid solvent. The new process allowed the team, a collaboration among Los Alamos and researchers from National Taiwan University (NTU), to produce high-yield, large-area photovoltaic devices that are highly efficient in creating power from sunlight. These perovskite solar cells also have a long operational lifetime.

Bibliography

1. Perovskite. Wikimedia. Locality: Magnet Cove, Hot Spring County, Arkansas, USA; size: 2.3×2.1×2.0 cm.