Perovskite solar cells have just cleared a symbolic hurdle, with a new chemical strategy pushing single-junction devices beyond 26 percent power conversion efficiency. The advance hinges on a subtle tweak to the material’s surface chemistry that tames defects which normally sap voltage and shorten device lifetimes. It signals that perovskites are moving from lab curiosity toward a realistic challenger to today’s best silicon panels.
At the same time, a parallel line of work in China has driven perovskite cells to a certified 26.6% and kept them running in brutal heat and humidity, addressing the technology’s other Achilles’ heel: stability. Taken together, these results suggest that the long promised combination of high efficiency, low cost, and robust operation is finally starting to converge in one device architecture.
How a “chemical hack” tames defects and lifts efficiency
The latest efficiency leap builds on a simple idea, which I see as the essence of modern perovskite engineering: treat the crystal not as a finished product, but as a platform that can be chemically tuned at the atomic level. In the newest work, researchers use a hindered amine additive that coordinates with under bonded ions at the perovskite surface, neutralizing the so called deep traps that normally act as non radiative recombination centers. By passivating these sites, the additive cuts energy losses and lets more of the absorbed sunlight emerge as useful current and voltage, a mechanism detailed in reports on a hindered amine additive.
That surface chemistry trick matters because single junction perovskite records are now crowding the theoretical limits of crystalline silicon. A recent survey of record devices shows how quickly perovskites have climbed into the mid twenties, while tandem perovskite silicon stacks have already passed 34 percent. As of 2025, detailed tracking of “What Is the” notes a tandem efficiency of 34.85%, underscoring how much headroom remains once defect losses are controlled. The new hindered amine approach is attractive because it slots into existing fabrication flows, promising a faster path to commercialization rather than a wholesale process overhaul.
China’s 26.6% breakthrough and the rise of molecular sealing
In parallel with the hindered amine work, Scientists in China have pushed perovskite performance to a headline grabbing 26.6% while tackling the durability problem that has dogged the technology. Developed by researchers from Xi’an Jiaotong University in China, a so called Molecular seal forms a protective layer that shields the perovskite from mechanical and chemical damage during fabrication and operation. Reports on this Molecular seal describe how the coating helps the perovskite crystals grow more uniformly, reducing pinholes and cracks that can later propagate under stress.
The same strategy enabled n i p perovskite solar cells to achieve a PCE of 26.6% (certified 26.5%), according to a detailed PCE report. A companion analysis of China’s new coating notes that this same approach delivered a power conversion efficiency of 26.6% while also improving the long term stability of perovskite films, a result highlighted in coverage of China’s new coating. In a field where tiny efficiency gains often come at the expense of robustness, that combination is striking.
From lab trick to robust modules: stability, scaling, and the global race
Efficiency records mean little if devices fall apart in real weather, which is why the durability data behind the Molecular seal work may be even more important than the 26.6% headline. In extended stress tests, the cells survived for more than 2,000 hours of continuous operation at 85°C and 60% relative humidity without catastrophic failure, according to detailed stability data. Additional reporting on how this strategy enabled n i p perovskite devices to maintain performance while leaving behind tiny holes in the surface underscores that the seal is not just a cosmetic coating but a structural reinforcement, as described in analyses of the n i p.
Other accounts of the same work emphasize that it was Developed by researchers from Jiaotong University in China and that the Molecular seal protects the cells from damage during fabrication while helping the perovskite crystals grow, details that appear in separate optical cavity coverage and in follow up notes that it was Developed at Jiaotong University in China. A complementary report on how Molecular seal strengthens perovskite solar cells while pushing efficiency to 26.6% credits Molecular level engineering by Scientists in China with enabling the 26.6% figure and with keeping the devices stable under extreme heat and high humidity, as summarized in coverage of Scientists in China.
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