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Interlayer engineering in metal halide perovskite photovoltaics

Nature Photonics volume 20, pages 11–23 (2026)Cite this article

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Abstract

Interlayers (ILs) play a pivotal role in perovskite solar cells, enabling efficient charge extraction, suppressing recombination and enhancing device stability. Positioned between the light-absorbing perovskite layer and the electrodes, ILs facilitate selective carrier transport while mitigating interfacial losses. Unlike GaAs cells and heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer silicon cells, which benefit from coherent, chemically compatible interfaces, perovskite solar cells exhibit structural and energetic mismatches at the interfaces between the perovskite and charge transport layers (CTLs). To address these challenges, functional interfacial ILs are introduced at both the CTL/perovskite and CTL/electrode interfaces. This Review examines the evolution of these ILs, from simple passivation layers to multifunctional components that regulate electric fields and carrier dynamics. We highlight recent advances in materials and architectures, classify ILs by their device position and discuss design strategies inspired by mature photovoltaic technologies. We argue that interfacial IL engineering is crucial to radiative efficiency and stable, high-performance perovskite solar cells.

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Fig. 1: Comparison of IL configurations in GaAs solar cells, SHJ cells and PSCs.
Fig. 2: Charge carrier dynamics and representative ILs for PSCs.
Fig. 3: IL engineering at the n-type side.
Fig. 4: IL engineering at p-type side.
Fig. 5: Nanoscale ILs for enhanced performance in PSCs.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Challengeable Future Defense Technology Research and Development Program through the Agency For Defense Development (ADD) funded by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) in 2024 (grant no. 912765601). Additional support was provided by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) through the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) under grants No. RS-2018-NR030954, RS-2024-00418209, and RS-2024-00345042. This work was also supported by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (20214000000680).

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Seong Sik Shin, Byung-wook Park.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea

    Seong Sik Shin

  2. Department of Nano Science and Technology and Department of Nano Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea

    Seong Sik Shin

  3. SKKU Institute of Energy Science & Technology (SIEST), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea

    Seong Sik Shin

  4. Department of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea

    Byung-wook Park & Sang Il Seok

  5. School of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Jun Hong Noh

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S.S.S., B.P. and J.H.N. drafted the manuscript. S.I.S. initiated the subject of the Review and edited the text.

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Correspondence to Jun Hong Noh or Sang Il Seok.

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Nature Photonics thanks Bin Chen and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Supplementary Notes 1–5, Figs. 1–4, Tables 1 and 2 and references.

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Shin, S.S., Park, Bw., Noh, J.H. et al. Interlayer engineering in metal halide perovskite photovoltaics. Nat. Photon. 20, 11–23 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-025-01809-8

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