Emerging Trends in Materials of Photovoltaic Cells

Efficiency of solar photovoltaic (SPV) primarily depends on the materials used, assuming the external (natural) factors to be favourable. Recent developments in the materials engineering, such as usage of perovskite, aluminium nano particle for anti-reflection coating, birefringent liquid crystal polymer homeotropic films, nanowires, etc., will play a momentous role in the future in the field of SPV. Against this backdrop, this article, based on literature survey, dwells upon the use of these materials in solar cells for smart generation of electrical energy in an economic, efficient, and eco-friendly manner. The work concludes that solar cells developed from these materials could be the elixir for next-generation photovoltaic technology, if harnessed techno-economically. The article is just a humble attempt from the academic point of view in the field of materials for solar photovoltaics.