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Highly stable all-perovskite tandem solar cells with targeted conversion of tin–lead surfaces

Nature Photonics volume 20, pages 273–279 (2026)Cite this article

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Abstract

All-perovskite tandem solar cells (APTSCs) have rapidly improved in both power conversion efficiency (PCE) and room-temperature stability. However, achieving device stability under combined light–heat stresses (ISOS-L-3 conditions) remains challenging. The critical limitation stems from the highly reactive tin–lead surface which, even with molecular passivation strategies, remains susceptible to severe photothermal degradation. Here we develop a targeted conversion strategy to transform the metastable surface into a solid protection layer. Our method relies on treatment with alkaline caesium hydroxide, which releases OH− to mediate the dual transformation of SnI4 and the defective surface into solid metal oxides, as well as replacing volatile organic cations with Cs+. This strategy leads to improved stability under ISOS-L-3 testing conditions and overall optoelectronic performance. The resulting tin–lead cells achieve a champion PCE of 23.65%, enabling the corresponding APTSCs to reach a PCE of 29.52% (certified, 28.56%). The APTSCs retain 90.3% of their initial PCE after 500 h under ISOS-L-3 conditions, outperforming traditional amine-treated counterparts. Our findings demonstrate a promising pathway towards photothermally stable and efficient APTSCs.

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Fig. 1: Influence of surface configurations on photothermal stability of Sn–Pb film.
Fig. 2: Targeted robust conversion on the Sn–Pb surface.
Fig. 3: Characterizations of Sn–Pb perovskite films and PSCs.
Fig. 4: Photovoltaic performance and stability of APTSCs.

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Data availability

Source data are provided with this paper. The main data supporting the findings of this study are available within the Article and its Supplementary Information. The source data are available via figshare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30132082 (ref. 49). Additional data are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholar (T2325011), National Natural Science Foundation of China (62504082, 62274062 and 62374058), Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan (22dz1205200), Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (25ZR1402120), Natural Science Research Project of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (22KJA480003) and National Youth Top-notch Talent Support Program.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Nannan Sun, Sheng Fu, Yunfei Li.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics and Electronic Science Engineering Research Center of Nano-photonics and Advanced Instrument Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

    Nannan Sun, Sheng Fu, Yunfei Li, Bo Feng, Xiaotian Zhu, Zhengbo Cui, Wenxiao Zhang, Xiaodong Li & Junfeng Fang

  2. School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China

    Tianshu Ma & Changlei Wang

  3. Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden

    Feng Wang & Feng Gao

  4. Key Laboratory of Aero Engine Extreme Manufacturing Technology of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, CAS, Ningbo, China

    Wentai Ouyang

  5. Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

    Canglang Yao

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  1. Nannan Sun
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Contributions

Conceptualization: J.F. and S.F. Data curation: N.S. and Y.L. Formal analysis: N.S., S.F., C.W. and F.G. Investigation: N.S., Y.L., T.M., F.W., W.O., B.F., Z.C., C.Y., X.Z., W.Z. and X.L. Methodology: S.F. and C.W. Funding acquisition: S.F., C.W., F.G. and J.F. Project administration: F.G. and J.F. Validation: T.M. and F.W. Writing—original draft: N.S. Writing—review and editing: S.F., F.W., C.W., F.G. and J.F. Supervision: J.F.

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Correspondence to Sheng Fu, Changlei Wang, Feng Gao or Junfeng Fang.

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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 Figs. 1–43, Tables 1–3 and Refs. 1–12.

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Source data. Influence of surface configurations on photothermal stability of Sn-Pb film for Fig. 1, targeted robust conversion on Sn-Pb surface for Fig. 2, characterizations on Sn-Pb perovskite films and PSCs for Fig. 3 and photovoltaic performance and stability of APTSCs for Fig. 4.

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Sun, N., Fu, S., Li, Y. et al. Highly stable all-perovskite tandem solar cells with targeted conversion of tin–lead surfaces. Nat. Photon. 20, 273–279 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-025-01815-w

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