perovskiitti

Perovskite is a calcium titanium oxide mineral with the chemical formula CaTiO₃. It was first discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia in 1839 by German mineralogist Gustav Rose, who named it in honor of Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski. The mineral crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and typically forms as dark brown to black, metallic-looking grains.

Perovskite has a general structure where a larger cation (such as calcium) occupies the corners of a cubic unit cell, while a smaller cation (such as titanium) sits in the center. Oxygen atoms form an octahedral arrangement around the smaller cation. This structure is highly adaptable, allowing for substitutions of various elements while maintaining the overall framework. This flexibility has made perovskite-related compounds significant in materials science.

In recent years, perovskite materials have gained attention for their potential applications in solar cells. Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites, particularly those containing methylammonium or formamidinium cations, exhibit exceptional light absorption properties and high charge-carrier mobility. These properties have led to rapid advancements in perovskite solar cell efficiency, surpassing traditional silicon-based technologies in certain areas. However, challenges such as stability, scalability, and long-term durability remain areas of ongoing research.

Beyond photovoltaics, perovskites are explored for use in LEDs, lasers, and other optoelectronic devices due to their tunable bandgap and strong light emission. They are also studied for potential applications in memory storage, catalysis, and even superconductivity under specific conditions. The versatility of perovskite structures continues to drive interdisciplinary research across physics, chemistry, and engineering.