What is Perovskite?

About Perovskite

• Perovskites are a class of materials that share a similar structure and which display a myriad of exciting properties like superconductivity, magnetoresistance, etc.
• Crystal Structure:
  • It is a material that has the same crystal structure as the mineral calcium titanium oxide (CaTiO3), the first-discovered perovskite crystal.
  • It is characterized by a three-dimensional arrangement of atoms.
  • It has the general formula ABX3, where "A" and "B" represent cations (positively charged ions) and "X" represents anions (negatively charged ions).
• Discovery: The mineral was discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia by Gustav Rose in 1839 and is named after Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski.
• Due to its compositional flexibility, scientists can design perovskite crystals to have a wide variety of physical, optical, and electrical characteristics from insulating, semiconducting, metallic, and superconducting characteristics.
• Optical Properties:
  • They are known for their exceptional optical properties. They can efficiently absorb and emit light across a wide range of wavelengths, from visible to near-infrared.
  • This property has made them a promising candidate for solar cells and light-emitting devices.
• Applications:
  • It includes uses in sensors and catalyst electrodes, certain types of fuel cells, solar cells, lasers, memory devices and spintronics applications.
  • Solar cells are currently the most prominent perovskite application, as synthetic perovskites are recognized as potential inexpensive base materials for high-efficiency commercial photovoltaics.

Q1) What is superconductivity?

Superconductivity is a phenomenon in physics in which certain materials, when cooled to extremely low temperatures, exhibit zero electrical resistance and the expulsion of magnetic fields. This remarkable behavior allows electric current to flow through these materials with no energy loss, making them highly efficient conductors of electricity. 

Source: Solar panel breakthrough could supercharge ‘miracle material’ production