It is called perovskite.
The unique physical properties of perovskite materials such as high-absorption coefficient, long-range ambipolar charge transport, low exciton-binding energy, high dielectric constant, ferroelectric properties, etc. have gained a huge interest in these materials for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications.University of Berlin mineralogist Gustavus Rose discovered perovskite in the Ural Mountains of Russia in 1839. He named the substance after Russian mineralogist and nobleman Lev Perovski.
Perovskite, along with the minerals rutile and ilmenite, is valuable as a titanium ore. In addition to Russia, it occurs in such diverse locations as Switzerland, Italy, and Arkansas. Many oxides with the perovskite structure have physical and chemical properties that make them useful in electronic devices.
Perovskite has emerged in the past 15 years as a material capable of transforming an array of industries, from renewable energy, to ultra high-speed communications.
Perovskite is cheaper and lighter than conventional silicon-based cells, as well as far more efficient, however, the emerging technology currently suffers from a drop in efficiency and energy output during the manufacturing process.
Recent advances have seen it used to create self-healing solar panels that can recover 100 percent of their efficiency after being damaged by radiation in space, as well as break new efficiency records when combined with silicon to form tandem cells.
If the cheap-to-produce perovskite cells can be manufactured at scale while retaining their durability and reliability, then the cost of solar panels would plummet.
