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Irreversible organic cations chemistry limits organic–inorganic halide perovskite stability under illumination or bias

Nature Energy (2026)Cite this article

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Abstract

Lead halide perovskites containing organic–inorganic cations are commonly used as absorber materials in high-performance perovskite solar cells. However, these materials are susceptible to degradation under device operational conditions, where illumination and/or bias trigger photo/electrochemical redox reactions that drive halide segregation, ion migration and ultimately perovskite decomposition and device failure. Here we discuss the effect of these photo/electrochemical redox reactions, taking into account not only commonly discussed halide oxidation but also irreversible reactions involving organic cations. We summarize possible oxidation and reduction reactions and outline key degradation pathways of organic cations under illumination and bias, highlighting their critical impact on the long-term stability of perovskite solar cells and the existing gaps in understanding. Finally, we discuss approaches to inhibit these undesirable reactions through organic cation design, additive incorporation and device architecture optimization.

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Fig. 1: Schematic illustrations of redox reactions, defect formation and ion migration pathways.
Fig. 2: Schematic illustrations of ion redistributions in MAPbI3 under bias and/or illumination.
Fig. 3: Illustrations of the loss of volatile degradation products and degradation reactions in organic–inorganic halide perovskites.
Fig. 4: Schematic diagram of strategies to suppress detrimental degradation reactions.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by RGC CRF project 7018−20G, RGC GRF project 17311422, HRZZ project PZS-2019-02-2068 and Russian Science Foundation project no. 19-73-30020P.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Zhilin Ren, Stjepan Dolić, Vedran Kojić, Zhengtian Yuan.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Zhilin Ren, Zhengtian Yuan & Aleksandra B. Djurišić

  2. Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia

    Stjepan Dolić, Vedran Kojić, Andreja Gajović, Jasminka Popović & Aleksandra B. Djurišić

  3. Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China

    Pavel Troshin

  4. Zhengzhou Research Institute of HIT, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China

    Pavel Troshin

  5. Federal Research Center for Problems of Chemical Physics and Medicinal Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Moscow, Russian Federation

    Pavel Troshin

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Contributions

A.B.D. wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Images and boxes were prepared by Z.R., S.D., Z.Y. and V.K. The manuscript was written with contributions from all authors. All authors have given approval to the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Pavel Troshin, Jasminka Popović or Aleksandra B. Djurišić.

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Ren, Z., Dolić, S., Kojić, V. et al. Irreversible organic cations chemistry limits organic–inorganic halide perovskite stability under illumination or bias. Nat Energy (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-026-01965-3

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