A hybrid 2D/3D perovskite solar cell has operated for over a year without loss of performance. This development promises to lead to low-cost, efficient solar energy production.

Perovskite solar cells are highly efficient, with a power conversion factor over 22 percent, and the material isPerovskite solar cell schematic. Credit: EPFL inexpensive. The problem with commercial development is perovskite’s instability.

Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) engineered the hybrid cell, combining 2D and 3D perovskite. The 2D form is stable; the 3D form efficiently absorbs light across the spectrum. These solar cells yield efficiencies of 12.9% (carbon-based architecture), and 14.6% (standard mesoporous solar cells).

The 10 x 10 square centimeter cells used for the year-long test were produced with an industrial-scale printing process. These cells operated at a steady 11.2 percent efficiency for the year of the test and had zero loss under normal conditions.

The researchers expect that the process could easily move into industrial-scale production. The research was reported in Nature Communications on June 1, 2017.