Radiation‐Resilient Perovskite Solar Cells for Space Exploration: From Soft‐Lattice Dynamics to Stack‐Level Hardening

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as compelling candidates for next-generation space photovoltaics, offering high specific power, mechanical flexibility, and promising radiation tolerance. However, in orbit, these devices face a harsh radiation environment of energetic electrons, protons, gamma rays, ultraviolet (UV) photons, and other radiation sources such as neutrons and x-rays, together with vacuum, AM0 illumination, and temperature cycling. Here, we review radiation damage mechanisms and hardening strategies for PSCs under space-relevant conditions. We highlight that the soft ionic lattice and defect tolerance of halide perovskites enable dynamic self-healing capability, wherein non-ionizing energy loss (NIEL)-driven displacement damage competes with ionizing energy loss (IEL)-driven defect reorganization. Despite the perovskite absorber's exceptional radiation hardness, device-level failure is frequently dictated by the degradation of charge-transport layers, buried interfaces, metal contacts, substrates, and encapsulation layers. We then discuss hardening strategies, including compositional engineering, robust transport layers, interfacial passivation, and functional encapsulation. Finally, we outline key challenges limiting practical deployment, including the lack of standardized space-relevant testing protocols, insufficient understanding of multi-physics coupled space stressors, and the absence of predictive lifetime models. By bridging fundamental radiation physics with device engineering, this review provides a comprehensive roadmap for developing radiation-resilient perovskite photovoltaics for aerospace applications.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-09-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.74974
Primary Topic
Perovskite Materials and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
article

Radiation‐Resilient Perovskite Solar Cells for Space Exploration: From Soft‐Lattice Dynamics to Stack‐Level Hardening

Chunpeng Chai, Huanping Zhou, Jie Sheng, Wenyi Yang et al.
Advanced Materials
Perovskite Materials and Applications
article

Radiation‐Resilient Perovskite Solar Cells for Space Exploration: From Soft‐Lattice Dynamics to Stack‐Level Hardening

Chunpeng Chai, Huanping Zhou, Jie Sheng, Wenyi Yang, Qi Chen, Jiachen Liang, Cheng Zhu, Cankun Ma, Xinrui Wang, Pengxiang Zhang, Qianru Lin, Yuan Xiong, Wei Rao, Liyi Li, Haiying Tan
article en

Abstract

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as compelling candidates for next-generation space photovoltaics, offering high specific power, mechanical flexibility, and promising radiation tolerance. However, in orbit, these devices face a harsh radiation environment of energetic electrons, protons, gamma rays, ultraviolet (UV) photons, and other radiation sources such as neutrons and x-rays, together with vacuum, AM0 illumination, and temperature cycling. Here, we review radiation damage mechanisms and hardening strategies for PSCs under space-relevant conditions. We highlight that the soft ionic lattice and defect tolerance of halide perovskites enable dynamic self-healing capability, wherein non-ionizing energy loss (NIEL)-driven displacement damage competes with ionizing energy loss (IEL)-driven defect reorganization. Despite the perovskite absorber's exceptional radiation hardness, device-level failure is frequently dictated by the degradation of charge-transport layers, buried interfaces, metal contacts, substrates, and encapsulation layers. We then discuss hardening strategies, including compositional engineering, robust transport layers, interfacial passivation, and functional encapsulation. Finally, we outline key challenges limiting practical deployment, including the lack of standardized space-relevant testing protocols, insufficient understanding of multi-physics coupled space stressors, and the absence of predictive lifetime models. By bridging fundamental radiation physics with device engineering, this review provides a comprehensive roadmap for developing radiation-resilient perovskite photovoltaics for aerospace applications.

Advanced Materials
Beijing Institute of Technology (CN), Tianjin University (CN), Peking University (CN), Harbin Institute of Technology (CN), Beijing Normal University (CN), Ministry of Education (IR), Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (CN), Wuhan Textile University (CN), ZTT (China) (CN)
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 20%
Perovskite Materials and Applications
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.