Printing techniques are an attractive industrial pathway towards perovskite solar cells (PSCs) manufacturing due to their compatibility with large-scale, continuous production. However, SnO₂ nanoparticles - commonly used as the electron transport layer - tend to aggregate during the printing process, leading to non-uniform film formation. This aggregation introduces crystallization defects in the perovskite layer and creates interfacial charge transport barriers, posing a challenge to further efficiency improvements.

Image credit: Joule

Researchers from China's Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Liaoning Normal University, Hubei University, Wuhan Textile University, Zhejiang University, Eastern Institute of Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Australia's University of Technology Sydney have developed a layer of “molecular glue” that can effectively anchor the solute that suspends the monodisperse SnO₂ nanoparticles into a uniform thin film and adhere it to the top perovskite during the mechanical blading process. 

Researchers at Brazil's Federal University of ABC recently reported a way to mitigate the rapid degradation of perovskite solar cells when exposed to humidity and ambient temperature conditions during both manufacturing and use. This degradation affects the performance of the devices over time and therefore their durability.

The team describes a process that is unique in that it can be carried out without the strict humidity and temperature controls that exist in laboratories dedicated to researching these devices. The solar cells in the scientists' work were obtained under ambient conditions, without major humidity controls, which may be more compatible with industrial preparation conditions, according to Professor André Sarto Polo, coordinator of the study and member of the Center for Innovation on New Energies (CINE) – an Engineering Research Center (ERC) supported by FAPESP and Shell.

Researchers at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), University of Ulsan and Kunsan National University have developed a multi-functional hole-selective layer (mHSL) designed to significantly improve the performance of perovskite/organic tandem solar cells (POTSCs). The thin-film material is reportedly capable of simultaneously enhancing both the efficiency and durability of tandem solar cells.

The calculated HOMO/LUMO orbitals and electrostatic potential maps (ESP) of (a) 36ICzC4PA and (b) 36MeOCzC4PA. Credit: Advanced Energy Materials (2025)

Tandem solar cells stack two different types of cells to absorb a broader spectrum of sunlight, thereby increasing overall energy conversion efficiency. Among these, combinations of perovskite and organic materials are particularly promising for producing thin, flexible solar panels suitable for wearable devices and building-integrated photovoltaics, positioning them as next-generation energy sources. The research team developed a hole-transport layer (HTL) by blending two self-assembled molecules, achieving a record open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 2.216 V and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.73%. 

Researchers from Sichuan University, Zhejiang University, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Guangxi University have reported a nucleation-layer assisted (NLA) strategy that achieves highly oxygen stable quasi-2D Ruddlesden Popper (RP) tin perovskite solar cells by regulating the phase distribution, crystal orientation, and film morphology of the cells, setting a record for oxygen stability in tin perovskite solar cells.

The formation process of the nucleation layer consists of washing off the prepared perovskite film and annealing the residue on the substrate, which produces a new substrate for perovskite film fabrication. Such nucleation layer can transform the subsequently deposited perovskite film from a small-n-value dominated wide phase distribution with random crystal orientation into an intermediate-n-value dominated narrow phase distribution with vertical crystal orientation. 

Researchers from Taiyuan University of Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Southwest Jiaotong University and Shimmer Center have explained that unbalanced carrier injection and internal defects within the perovskite pose significant challenges to the performance of perovskite optoelectronic devices. To address this issue, they developed a strategy of functional molecule surface infiltration treatment.

In the new treatment, a 1,3,5-Tris(1-phenyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)benzene (TPBi) acetone solution is used to treat the perovskite film. Such treatment facilitates the reconstruction of the perovskite film’s surface and promotes the infiltration of TPBi into the grain boundaries, thereby reducing defects and effectively enhancing electron injection between the emitting layer and the transport layer. 

Researchers from MIT, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Louisville, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Yonsei University and Seoul National University have developed a technique for peeling ultra-thin crystalline electronic membranes away from their substrates to facilitate the high-throughput production of scalable, ultrathin, freestanding perovskite systems. The team used thin film membranes developed in their experiments to create a record-breaking infrared-detecting sensor that could be used in night vision eyewear or autonomous vehicles.

Study author Chang-Beom Eom, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is an expert in crystalline perovskite oxides, containing oxygen and, typically, transition metals in a distinct atomic arrangement. These materials are particularly stable and strong when produced as thin films and can be precisely engineered at the atomic level. They also offer a wide range of tunable functions, including superconductivity, oxygen catalysis, magnetoresistance, and insulating behaviors. If incorporated into next-generation devices, these films could lead to a whole range of new gadgets, including improved fuel cells, field-effect transistors, spintronic-based memory devices and a wide range of detectors.

Qcells has announced it has achieved successful stress test validation for its tandem modules, according to both IEC and UL certification standards. These tests also complied with tandem-specific requirements for power measurements, it was reported. The standard-compliant execution of the stress tests and measurements has been independently confirmed by TÜV Rheinland. 

By successfully passing the most critical stress tests for solar cell reliability, especially considering tandem-specific restrictions on power measurement, Qcells has demonstrated that tandem technology can now meet the performance benchmarks that set the groundwork for commercial acceptance.

Researchers from Cornell University, Duke University and Brookhaven National Laboratory have designed a two-dimensional (2D) perovskite that can be layered on top of a 3D perovskite to act as a rugged, weather-resistant coating. By finding the atomic equivalent of a perfect handshake between two types of perovskites, the researchers were able to build solar cells that are not only high-performing, but exceptionally durable.

Other researchers have attempted this protective 2D perovskite coating using methylammonium (MA) as a cage cation. However, MA is so unstable it starts to vaporize upon exposure to sunlight. “With MA, you have good efficiency and charge transport, but the solar cell degrades rapidly in a few hundred hours of continuous operation, ” said lead author Shripathi Ramakrishnan, a doctoral candidate in the lab of senior author Qiuming Yu, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Cornell Engineering.

The University of Queensland (UQ) and Halocell Energy have announced they will be working together to advance tin-based perovskite solar panels.

UQ's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) researcher Dr. Peng Chen has secured almost $200,000 through the latest Australia’s Economic Accelerator Ignite funding round to accelerate the commercial production of tin-based perovskite solar panels. Dr. Chen and his team - including UQ’s Professor Lianzhou Wang and AIBN’s Dr Dongxu He – have replaced the lead with tin, recently setting a world-record efficiency for lead-free perovskite solar cells. Now, Halocell Energy and UQ have decided to take the project to the next phase and scale up for real world use in lead-free solar panels.

Researchers from China's Westlake University, Fudan University and Zhejiang University have explained that while record power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are usually achieved using organic spiro-OMeTAD, conventional doping with hygroscopic dopants (LiTFSI and tBP) leads to compromised device stability. 

Image of spiro-OMeTAD solutions with various dopants alongside filtered 5D spiro-OMeTAD solutions. Image from: Nature Communications

In their recent work, the team introduced a synergistic mixed doping strategy that utilizes a combination of metal-TFSI dopants—LiTFSI, KTFSI, NaTFSI, Ca(TFSI)₂, and Mg(TFSI)₂—to enhance doping efficiency while effectively removing hygroscopic contaminants from the Spiro-OMeTAD solution. This approach enables PCEs exceeding 25% and significantly improved stability under harsh environmental conditions.