Engineering

Ecology

Biology

Materials science

Geomorphology

Environmentally friendly

Lead (geology)

Perovskite (structure)

Inorganic chemistry

Chemical engineering

Band gap

Geology

Nanotechnology

Chemistry

Optoelectronics

Photovoltaic system

Halide

Electrical engineering

Engineering physics

Nano-Micro Letters

The toxicity issue of lead hinders large-scale commercial production and photovoltaic field application of lead halide perovskites. Some novel non- or low-toxic perovskite materials have been explored for development of environmentally friendly lead-free perovskite solar cells (PSCs). This review studies the substitution of equivalent/heterovalent metals for Pb based on first-principles calculation, summarizes the theoretical basis of lead-free perovskites, and screens out some promising lead-free candidates with suitable bandgap, optical, and electrical properties. Then, it reports notable achievements for the experimental studies of lead-free perovskites to date, including the crystal structure and material bandgap for all of lead-free materials and photovoltaic performance and stability for corresponding devices. The review finally discusses challenges facing the successful development and commercialization of lead-free PSCs and predicts the prospect of lead-free PSCs in the future.

Lead-Free Perovskite Materials for Solar Cells