Perovskite solar cells promise to revolutionize clean energy, but fragile materials and finicky fabrication have...
Perovskite solar cells promise to revolutionize clean energy, but fragile materials and finicky fabrication have stalled their real-world rollout.
Now, that may finally change.
In a key advance for next-gen solar energy, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a novel radical self-assembled molecular material.
The breakthrough targets a major hurdle in commercializing perovskite solar cells, a notoriously unstable layer critical to their efficiency.
The newly engineered hole-transport layer (HTL) developed by a team of researchers from the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry addresses two major problems of inadequate performance and difficulty in achieving uniform, large-area fabrication.
Cracking the weak layer
Perovskite solar cells have long been hailed as the future of photovoltaics, thanks to their low-cost materials, high efficiency, and flexibility.
But unlike silicon, perovskites degrade quickly, especially under heat and humidity. One of the most critical weak points is the hole-transport layer (HTL), the middle layer in a solar cell that moves positive charges (holes) after light hits the material.
If this layer is unstable or poorly constructed, it can cause rapid performance loss, short circuits, and inefficient energy conversion. Most current HTL materials are expensive, chemically reactive, difficult to scale, and require complex fabrication processes, making them a major bottleneck in an otherwise promising solar technology.
That’s where the new self-assembled radical-based molecular material comes in.
Developed by teams led by Qin Chuanjiang, Wang Lixiang and other researchers, it took three years to independently create a “double-radical self-assembled molecule” and integrate it into perovskite devices.
According to tests by researcher Zhou Min’s team, the new material more than doubles carrier-transport rates under simulated operating conditions.
Designed to overcome the limitations of conventional HTLs, it arranges itself at the molecular level, forming a smooth, defect-free film without the need for complex processing.
The result is a stable, scalable layer that performs efficiently even over large surface areas, bringing perovskite solar cells one step closer to commercial viability.
That could be a game-changer for large-scale, roll-to-roll manufacturing, long a goal in the perovskite industry.
Rolling toward real scale
Solar cells built with the new material show virtually no performance loss, even after thousands of hours of continuous operation.
Over the past decade, perovskite compounds have emerged as the frontrunners in next-generation solar technologies, attracting growing interest from researchers and industry alike.
Lead researcher Qin said the team now aims to scale up the material and refine its performance for commercial use.
The breakthrough has been efficiency-certified by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), lending international validation to a homegrown Chinese innovation.
The development could move China closer to mass-producing perovskite solar panels, a step that could lower global solar costs even further while reducing dependence on traditional silicon-based panels.
As global energy demand rises and the push for net-zero intensifies, breakthroughs like this one could redefine how solar energy is captured and scaled, especially in countries investing heavily in next-gen renewables.
The study was published in the journal Science on June 26.