UQ successfully scales 25 cm² perovskite solar cell – with 15% efficiency

One of the biggest challenges facing next-generation solar technologies is scale. Perovskite solar cells often perform exceptionally well in the lab, but their efficiency tends to drop sharply when researchers try to make them larger. Many approaches rely on complex designs to manage this problem, which adds cost and makes large-scale manufacturing more complex.

Researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ) have made a major step forward by showing that large-area perovskite solar cells can deliver high performance using simpler, more scalable designs. The team has demonstrated 25 cm² solution-processed, monolithic perovskite solar cells with an efficiency of 15% – the highest reported result for this type of device based on the widely studied perovskite material MAPI₃, and close to the technology’s theoretical 17% performance limit.

Researchers at The University of Queensland have demonstrated large-area (25 cm²) solution-processed perovskite solar cells with 15% efficiency — the highest reported for MAPI₃ devices of this type and approaching the material’s 17% theoretical limit.

The work was led by Associate Professor Paul Shaw and Emeritus Professor Paul Burn at UQ, with key contributions from PhD student Yaomiao Feng. Modelling and design optimisation were carried out in collaboration with James Cook University (JCU).

Instead of using many narrow (width ≤1 cm²), interconnected strips – a common but complex approach for fabricating larger perovskite devices – the team produced a single, continuous sub-module solar cell. They used an industry-relevant coating technique (nitrogen-knife assisted blade-coating), supported by carefully chosen material additives, to boost performance and stability.

The advanced modelling helped the researchers design the device so that electrical losses were minimised as the cell size increased. This result provides confidence that large-area perovskite solar cells, and ultimately perovskite-silicon tandem devices with efficiencies of 30% or more, can be manufactured using simpler processes. Supported by ACAP core funding, this work strengthens Australia’s position at the forefront of scalable, high-efficiency solar technology.