Review on Recent Progress of All-Inorganic Metal Halide Perovskites and Solar Cells

All-inorganic perovskites are considered to be one of the most appealing research hotspots in the field of perovskite photovoltaics in the past 3 years due to their superior thermal stability compared to their organic-inorganic hybrid counterparts. The power-conversion efficiency has reached 17.06% and the number of important publications is ever increasing. Here, the progress of inorganic perovskites is systematically highlighted, covering materials design, preparation of high-quality perovskite films, and avoidance of phase instabilities. Inorganic perovskites, nanocrystals, quantum dots, and lead-free compounds are discussed and the corresponding device performances are reviewed, which have been realized on both rigid and flexible substrates. Methods for stabilization of the cubic phase of low-bandgap inorganic perovskites are emphasized, which is a prerequisite for highly efficient and stable solar cells. In addition, energy loss mechanisms both in the bulk of the perovskite and at the interfaces of perovskite and charge selective layers are unraveled. Reported approaches to reduce these charge-carrier recombination losses are summarized and complemented by methods proposed from our side. Finally, the potential of inorganic perovskites as stable absorbers is assessed, which opens up new perspectives toward the commercialization of inorganic perovskite solar cells.