Science has recently featured a groundbreaking advancement in industrial-scale perovskite solar cells. On May 30, 2025, a team led by Professors Guo Wanlin and Zhao Xiaoming from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics published their findings in Science, detailing a new technique called “Vapor-assisted surface reconstruction” that enhances the outdoor stability of perovskite solar modules. This innovative approach not only makes the process greener and more cost-effective but also significantly reduces irreversible degradation of industrial-grade perovskite modules in outdoor environments. For the first time, a 30 cm × 30 cm perovskite module achieved outdoor operational stability comparable to commercially available silicon solar cells. These two studies together close the technical loop, systematically addressing the stability challenges faced in the commercialization of perovskite photovoltaics across the entire chain from laboratory to production line and outdoor implementation. Relevant patents for this technology have already been filed.
As humanity confronts the serious challenges of climate change and shortages of energy and water resources, exploring and utilizing solar thermal energy has become essential for ensuring human survival and achieving sustainable development. Professor Guo’s team has introduced a method that harnesses the interaction between functional materials and water, converting the energy stored in water directly into electricity through a phenomenon known as the “water-photovoltaic effect.” Recently, the team has been actively exploring the integration of water and photovoltaic technologies, specifically addressing the commercial demands for large-area, long-lasting stability in perovskite solar cells, culminating in this significant breakthrough.
Currently, monocrystalline silicon solar cells dominate the solar energy market. These cells, made from silicon extracted from sand, require complex manufacturing processes that involve temperatures of 1200 degrees Celsius, resulting in their exceptional stability. In contrast, metal halide perovskite solar cells can be produced at temperatures below 140 degrees Celsius, but commonly rely on spin-coating, blade-coating, and liquid-phase stabilization techniques. While these processes allow for the creation of high-quality, small-area perovskite solar cells, achieving long-term operational stability remains a challenge, particularly for industrial-scale modules. These perovskite solar cells currently have a lifespan that falls short of that of commercial silicon solar cells, presenting obstacles for their market entry.
The research team, led by Zhao Xiaoming, previously developed a vapor-fluorination technique that enabled long-term stability for large-area perovskite modules in indoor settings (as reported in Science 385, 433-438, 2024). Although this technology significantly improved module longevity on production lines, it encountered new issues during validation for larger perovskite films, such as the 30 cm × 30 cm industrial-grade modules. The introduction of specialized fluorination reactors in industrial production lines would substantially increase costs, undermining the economic viability of the technology. This prompted the team to explore whether a more environmentally friendly, milder post-treatment approach could be developed to stabilize large-area modules.
During further optimization research, the team observed a unique phenomenon during outdoor testing: perovskite modules exhibited intriguing “reversible degradation” behavior, where performance decreased during the day but recovered partially after a night of rest. Investigations revealed that this behavior was closely linked to the reversible and irreversible migration of iodine ions within the perovskite film. Reversible migration occurs within the perovskite layer, leading to temporary performance degradation that can self-repair overnight, while irreversible migration results in ions escaping to the charge transport layer or electrodes, causing permanent performance loss.
In response to these issues, the team developed the more environmentally friendly and economically viable “vapor-assisted surface reconstruction” technology. Unlike the previous fluorination method, this new approach requires no specialized equipment and allows for in-situ reconstruction of the perovskite surface structure through vapor deposition of multi-toothed ligands. This effectively isolates defect-rich surface units and suppresses irreversible ion migration. This innovation not only clarifies the fundamental cause of permanent performance degradation due to irreversible ion migration but also, by inhibiting this process, achieves outdoor stability in perovskite cells that rivals that of silicon solar cells. Additionally, the processing costs have significantly decreased compared to the previous technology, and it is fully compatible with existing photovoltaic production line equipment, marking a key step towards the large-scale application of perovskite photovoltaic technology.
The solar cells developed using vapor-assisted surface reconstruction achieved higher power conversion efficiency and stability. The power conversion efficiencies (PCE) for a 0.16 cm² unit cell and a 785 cm² solar module were 25.3% and 19.6%, respectively. Accelerated aging tests under light/dark cycling conditions showed that the expected T80 lifespan (the time required for efficiency to drop to 80% of the initial efficiency) reached 2478 cycles, equivalent to over 6.7 years of operation at 25°C, making it one of the most stable reported perovskite modules.
To further investigate the outdoor stability of the perovskite modules, they were compared to commercial silicon solar cells under high temperature and humidity conditions in summer. The industrial-grade perovskite modules demonstrated stability on par with that of commercial silicon solar cells. Moreover, due to the lower temperature coefficient of perovskite cells, their power retention under high temperatures even exceeded that of silicon solar cells, confirming the practical application potential of perovskite solar cells.
To explore the mechanisms behind the improved stability, the team analyzed the surface morphology evolution and elemental distribution of the perovskite films under light/dark cycling conditions. They found that the films processed with vapor-assisted surface reconstruction exhibited stronger reversible recovery behavior, confirming that this technique effectively blocked the irreversible migration pathways of iodine ions to the electron transport layer, thus maintaining uniformity and compactness of the interfacial structure and significantly enhancing material stability.
The success of this high-level research is attributed to the collaborative efforts and innovative synergy of the research team. Under Professor Guo Wanlin’s leadership, the photovoltaic research team established a collaborative innovation system that integrates energy science, condensed matter physics, and functional materials, creating a comprehensive framework that spans from fundamental research to industrial application. In the process of this research, Professor Zhao Xiaoming built upon earlier findings related to vapor-fluorination passivation technology to propose the vapor-assisted surface reconstruction technique. Dr. Sun Xiangnan, the first author of the paper, worked closely with collaborators under the guidance of Professors Zhao and Guo to uncover the essential mechanism of irreversible ion migration leading to permanent performance degradation, demonstrating that inhibiting this process can significantly enhance the stability of industrial-grade perovskite modules, achieving stability comparable to commercial silicon solar cells. Other contributors to the paper include Professor Shi Wenda from Northwestern Polytechnical University, Researcher Tianjun Liu from Linköping University in Sweden, Professor Wang Xin from Shanghai Second Polytechnic University, Researcher Zhang Wei from the Frontier Institute, PhD student Xu Peng, and Master’s student Cheng Jinzhan.
The publication process of this paper was notably smooth due to the excellent device performance, clear principle elucidation, and groundbreaking original findings. The paper was submitted in December 2024, received review comments in February 2025, and was officially accepted after revisions in April. This work received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Science and Technology, and other organizations, along with support from the Analysis and Testing Center of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/breakthrough-in-perovskite-solar-cells-achieves-industry-level-stability-with-innovative-technology/
