Perovskites: A class of materials with multiple functionalities and applications

Abstract

First discovered in 1839 by Gustav Rose and named after the Russian mineralogist L. A. Perovksi, the perovskites have been extensively studied. These materials have a wide range of properties and many potential applications. The discovery of high temperature superconductivity in layered copper oxides in the mid-eighties and of efficient photovoltaic properties in hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells less than 10 years ago, have boosted the research efforts on these materials as well as the number of yearly publications.