Table 1.

Classification of materials for solar cells.

First Generation Uses Inorganic Semiconductor Materials in Bulk	Second Generation Uses Thin-Film Inorganic Semiconductor Materials	Third Generation Uses Organic, Inorganic, and Hybrid Semiconductor Materials	Third Generation/Emerging Include Technologies for the New Generations
Based on Crystalline Silicon (c-Si) [18]	Based on Thin-Film Silicon or Amorphous Silicon (a-Si) [19]	Perovskite Solar Cells [20]	Nanostructured Solar Cells (Nanocrystals, Nanowire, Nanotubes, Nanorods, Nanofiber, etc.) [21,22]
Based on Polycrystalline Silicon [18]	Based on binary compounds: IV–IV, III–V, II–VI and IV–VI (GaAs, CdTe, etc.) [23]	Organic Photovoltaics (OPV): Carbon-Based Materials, Fullerenes, Polymers and Small Molecules [17,21]	Plasmonic Solar Cells [15]
Based on Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer (HJT) [13]	Based on Kesterite: Copper, Zinc, Tin, Sulfide or Selenide or Sulfoselenide (CZTS, CZTSe, CZTSSe) [24]	Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) [25]	Flexible, Ultra-Thin, Ultra-Light, 3D-Printable Solar Cells [26]
Based on Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) [27]	Based on Titanium Oxide (TiO2) [27]	Quantum Dot Solar Cells [17]	Transparent and Semi-Transparent Solar Cells [23,26]
	Based on Gallium Arsenide Selenide (GaAsSe) [28]	Tandem Solar Cells [29]	Photonic Crystal Solar Cells [30]
	Based on Chalcogenides: Sulfides, Selenides, Tellurides (CdTe, CuS, SnS, MoS, etc.) [31]	Multi-Junction Solar Cells [23,29]	Black Silicon Solar Cells [32]
	Based on Chalcopyrite: Copper, Indium, Gallium, Selenide (CIS, CIGS) [33]	Hybrid Solar Cells [11]	Solar Cells based on Graphene, Graphene Oxide (GO), reduced Graphene (rGO), Graphite, and Nano-Graphite [34]
			Hot Carrier Solar Cells [35]
			Luminescent Solar Concentrators [36]