Overview
- NIMTE researchers reported on Wednesday that a vacuum-deposited InClx interlayer triggers ligand exchange to form an In–O–P network that 'locks' SAMs, producing 20.4% small-area PCE and a record 18.8% active-area PCE on 15.6 cm2 modules while retaining more than 85% of efficiency after 2,000 hours of continuous maximum-power-point tracking.
- A Chalmers-led team published in August that a sequential co-assembly of two carbazole-based molecules, 2PACz and 2Cl-4PACz, fills voids in SAMs, strengthens molecular packing, and delivered 20.1% small-area PCE with 17.0% efficiency in a 17.14 cm2 mini-module.
- Both papers identify the buried electrode/photoactive interface—imperfect, patchy SAM coverage that causes charge recombination—as the key bottleneck and show that fixing that interface rather than changing the active materials yields large gains in efficiency and module performance.
- Because both strategies leave core photoactive layers unchanged, they appear compatible with multiple donor–acceptor systems and metal-oxide electrodes, which could speed adoption in flexible, lightweight solar products for buildings, vehicles, and portable devices.
- Key next steps are proving uniform, reproducible coverage over still larger areas, adapting deposition and manufacturing steps for scale, and validating long-term durability under varied outdoor conditions before commercial rollout.