Solution-processed, organic-inorganic perovskite materials are the hottest topic in photovoltaics research right now due to their potential low cost and high efficiency. No other solar cell material has reached a conversion effiency above 20% in such a short time, leading to the technology being named as one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs of 2013 by the editors of Science and Nature. Perovskite LEDs and simple lasers spanning the entire visible and near-IR spectrum have also been reported, demonstrating the versatility and potential of this material in a range of optoelectronic applications.

This presentation will provide an overview of halide perovskite materials; their unique properties; potential applications; and the current state of perovskite photovoltaics and optoelectronics research.  In particular, I will describe the work that led to our recent world record efficiency for a perovskite-silicon tandem, and the potential for such tandems to exceed the theoretical efficiency limit of conventional solar cells. I will also discuss some of the fundamental studies underway at ANU and around the world to unravel the origin of these materials' intriguing, and at times frustrating, properties.