Unraveling the Historical Roots and Thematic Dynamics of Perovskite Solar Cell Research—A Bibliometric Analysis of Highly Cited Papers and the Role of AI in Materials Science

From 2009 to 2023, over 20,000 papers have been published on perovskite solar cells (PeSCs), reflecting a notable level of academic interest and research activity within this field. This increase in research activity is driven by the integration of various pre-existing research areas. Moreover, advancements in PeSCs have had a reciprocal impact on other technologies. It is therefore essential to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the inflows and outflows of research within the PeSC field in order to gain a full understanding of its intellectual structures. Despite this necessity, no systematic and bibliometric methodologies have been utilized to address these issues in a comprehensive manner. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive examination of the development and thematic evolution of PeSC research through extensive bibliometric analyses, with a particular focus on leveraging AI techniques to enhance our understanding. Our methodology included the analysis of citation relationships, the tracking of publication trends in PeSC-related fields, the identification of highly cited papers (HCPs), and the mapping of keywords and collaboration networks. A significant aspect of our study involved an in-depth analysis of researchers who have had a substantial impact on the PeSC research community. We initially identified those who published 10 or more HCPs between 2009 and 2021, designating them as PeSC highly cited researchers (PeSC-HCRs). Subsequently, a social network analysis (SNA) was conducted on their research activities from 2005 to 2022, based on author keywords. To guarantee a comprehensive and systematic analysis, all publications were classified according to their respective publication years and InCites citation topics. This classification enabled the identification of shifts in research priorities and the emergence of new sub-disciplines over time.