Strain Engineering, a Novel Strategy to Control Perovskites Solar Cells’ Lifespan

by Chema Arcos

An all-ICN2 team of researchers revealed how internal expansive strain is connected to the decay in the efficiency of perovskite solar cells under stress conditions. The study was featured on the front cover of ACS Energy Letters.

Perovskite solar cells are a promising renewable energy technology. However, their stability needs to be improved before reaching the market. A recent study, published in ACS Energy Letters, analysed how applying additional stress conditions to solar cells (related to accelerative light irradiation and bias voltage) leads to changes in the perovskite crystal structure. These changes have been shown to affect device stability and performance.

The research was led by PhD student Fanny Baumann under the supervision of CSIC Prof. Mónica Lira-Cantú and Senior Researcher Dr Sonia Ruiz Raga from the ICN2 Nanostructured Materials for Photovoltaic Energy Group and Dr Jose Santiso from the Nanomaterials Growth Unit. Scientists from the Atomic Manipulation and Spectroscopy Group and Supramolecular Nanochemistry and Materials Group were also involved.

Moreover, the authors used a strategy known as additive engineering to change the chemical composition of the perovskite material. Specifically, an organic molecule (H3pp) with specific functional groups was added to its structure to compress the material's crystal lattice. This part was carried out by the postdoctoral researcher Dr Masoud Karimipour. As a result, some resistance to degradation was induced. Still, the authors found that contrary to what was thought, initial lattice compression does not guarantee resistance to lattice expansion and device degradation over time.

By assessing the effect of stress in real-time, this work opens up new possibilities for optimising the stability of perovskite solar cells. The findings could be of great importance in facilitating their large-scale commercialisation, thus advancing the search for new, more sustainable energy solutions. In addition, at ICN2 we are proud to have a high-impact article entirely from within our institute.

ACS Energy Letters cover

In addition, the journal ACS Energy Letters used an illustration of the study as the cover of its latest issue. It was created by graphic designer Dámaso Torres from the ICN2 Marketing, Communication and Fundraising team.

Reference article:

Baumann, F; Karimipour, M; Padilla-Pantoja, J; Chávez-Angel, E; Caicedo Roque, JM; Pouteaux, R; Alcalá Ibarra, A; R. Raga, S; Santiso, J; Lira-Cantu, M. Strain in Halide Perovskites and Solar Cell Stability: Accelerated Stress Tests under Bias Voltage. ACS Energy Letters (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.4c03409.