Photoswitchable isomers to improve grain boundary resilience and perovskite solar cells stability under light cycling
Abstract Realizing stable and scalable perovskite solar cells (PSCs) under real-world outdoor conditions remains a challenge for deployment. Here we report a strategy to improve the resilience of the grain boundary, achieving simultaneous improvement in the power conversion efficiency and long-term operational durability under realistic light cycling and ultraviolet exposure of PSCs. By integrating photoswitchable isomers at grain boundaries, we suppress lattice bond rupture and defect accumulation during repeated light cycling through light-triggered dynamic damage release. This approach stabilizes the triple-cation lead-based perovskite lattice against photoinduced distortions and degradation pathways. As a result, the PSCs retain over 95% of their initial performance after 2,000 h of ultraviolet-containing light cycling at 65 °C and 500 thermal cycles between –40 °C and 85 °C, and deliver a power conversion efficiency of 27.2% (certified as 26.9%). Our strategy improves the operational stability and commercial viability of triple-cation perovskite photovoltaics.
Authors
- Jinbo Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0351-5025)
- Shengnan Zuo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4842-9871)
- Lin‐Long Deng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8588-1825)
- Antonio Abate
- Bingchen He
- Zhe Li
- Xingyu Gao
- Zuhong Zhang
- Michael Saliba
- Artem Musiienko
- Meng Li
- Luca Sapienza
- Weiwei Zuo
- Thomas W. Gries
- Hongzhuo Wu
- Bo Hou
- Ying Tang
- Luyao Wang
- Jorge Pascual
- Guixiang Li
- Zhenhuang Su
- Gang Li
- Yu Jia
- Jiaxin Wu
- Rui Zhu
- Paul J. Dyson
- Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin
Institutions
- University of Stuttgart (DE)
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK)
- Queen Mary University of London (GB)
- Forschungszentrum Jülich (DE)
- Xiamen University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Bielefeld University (DE)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (DE)
- Polymat (ES)
- Ministry of Education (IR)
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (CN)
- Helmholtz-Institute Münster (DE)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (CN)
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH)
- University of Naples Federico II (IT)
- Southeast University (CN)
- Cardiff University (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Energy
- Published
- 2026-02-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-026-01993-z
- Primary Topic
- Perovskite Materials and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Salt Science Research Foundation
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
- Henan University
- Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province
- Southeast University
- Xiamen University
- Universität Stuttgart
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme