A potential roadmap on the development, application, and loopholes of metal-organic frameworks in high-performance third-generation solar cells

The third-generation solar cells have found incremental utilization over their last two-generation counterparts for their increased environmental friendliness, facile fabrication, relatively high efficiency, and low cost in commercialization. A coordinated porosity and a high surface area mark Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) as an exciting candidate for study in solar cell fabrication. This review article aims to assemble the various MOF structures for developing high-performance solar cell studies. To be understood, MOF was not designed as a single material but has always enhanced efficiency as guest materials or secondary support structures. Pristine MOFs have been studied extensively as photoanodes in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC). However, given their intrinsically insulating nature and dull charge transport mechanism, they limit cell performance and efficiency. The constrained conductivity also limits their replacement as counter electrodes, which require a cheaper and more stable electrocatalyst than platinum. It has been found to provide extra crystallinity to the perovskite layer for Perovskite Solar Cells (PSC), further enhancing device performance and stability. The article presents a detailed report on developing MOF-derived materials for DSSC and PSC components. MOFs with excellent light-harvesting capacity and photosensitizing linkers have also been a curious case of study. Moreover, the crystal framework of MOFs can be designed efficiently, which helps solar cell component fabrication in fine-tuning its properties. Although fabrication from MOFs is still in the primitive stage, this paper provides knowledge in the field of both photovoltaics, and MOF diversification, understands the studies that have already been reported regarding the performance and stability, the enhancement in their properties, and loopholes that remain to be understood and nullified.