NREL researchers construct ‘highly efficient and stable’ perovskite solar cell

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
A unique architectural structure enabled the team to increase the efficiency of the cell. Image: NREL.

Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have constructed a perovskite solar cell that they say is both highly efficient and stable.

A unique architectural structure enabled the scientists to record a certified stabilised efficiency of 24% under 1-sun illumination, making it the highest reported of its kind, according to NREL.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The cell also retained 87% of its original efficiency after 2,400 hours of operation at 55 degrees Celsius.

“Some people can demonstrate perovskites with high stability, but efficiency is lower,” said Kai Zhu, a senior scientist at NREL. “You ought to have high efficiency and high stability simultaneously. That’s challenging.”

The researchers used an inverted architecture, rather than the ‘normal’ architecture that has to date yielded the highest efficiencies. The difference between the two types is defined by how the layers are deposited on the glass substrate.

The inverted perovskite architecture is known for its high stability and integration into tandem solar cells, according to NREL, whose team also added a new molecule, 3-(Aminomethyl) pyridine (3-APy), to the surface of the perovskite.

The molecule reacted to the formamidinium within the perovskite to create an electric field on the surface of the perovskite layer.

“That suddenly gave us a huge boost of not only efficiency but also stability,” said Zhu.

The scientists reported that 3-APy reactive surface engineering can improve the efficiency of an inverted cell from less than 23% to greater than 25%.

They also noted that reactive surface engineering stands out as an effective approach to significantly enhance the performance of inverted cells.

The NREL team’s work was done in collaboration with scientists from the University of Toledo, the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of California San Diego.

Their paper, ‘Surface Reaction for Efficient and Stable Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells’, has been published in the journal Nature.

The announcement comes after NREL researchers earlier this year found that a tin-lead perovskite cell can overcome problems with stability and improve efficiency, with an experiment yielding a 25.5% conversion efficiency.

Since then, however, Dongchen Lan and Martin Green from UNSW Sydney found that perovskite solar cells are susceptible to severe reverse bias challenges beyond those of traditional silicon cells, potentially threatening the technology’s commercialisation.

Read Next

June 26, 2025
Researchers at the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) have claimed a record 26.4% conversion efficiency in a perovskite-organic tandem cell.
Premium
June 13, 2025
SNEC 2025 takeaways: TOPCon modules set benchmark power at 650W, a wave of BC modules and perovskite tandem cells gains momentum.
June 2, 2025
A new manufacturing method has produced tandem perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells with a conversion efficiency of 27.8%.
May 28, 2025
The expansion is 100% compliant with the Indian government's requirement of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
Premium
May 27, 2025
Inverters are critical to PV systems but are often over-specified due to inadequate data on which materials and designs optimise performance.
May 15, 2025
Qcells claims its perovskite/silicon tandem technology has moved a step closer to commercialisation after passing several reliability tests.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
July 2, 2025
Bangkok, Thailand
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece