Progress in perovskite based solar cells: scientific and engineering state of the art

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are one of the most promising photovoltaic technologies undergoing rapid developments. PSC efficiency has reached 25.2% in only seven years, which is close to the record efficiency of silicon solar cells. In addition, the use of PSCs in tandem solar cells either in the 4-terminal or monolithic configuration, can lead to a significant increase conversion efficiency. However, the stability and the scalability are the main issues that still hinder the commercialization of the perovskite technology.The present review focusses on the recent development in perovskite solar cells materials, cell architectures and fabrication methods and their effect on the conversion efficiency and stability of the devices. In addition, solutions proposed to overcome the main challenges and to make tandem solar cells are discussed.