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Ion migration in perovskite solar cells

Nature Reviews Chemistry (2026)Cite this article

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Abstract

Metal halide perovskite solar cells have considerable potential for next-generation solar power production. However, if not controlled, the migration of mobile ions can hamper the stability of perovskite solar cells. Intensive research efforts have devised methods of suppressing ion migration and degradation in perovskite materials, resulting in solar cells that are stable over thousands of hours during accelerated ageing testing. Here, we review the chemical origins of ion migration, its effect on material and device performance and stability, and strategies to mitigate its impact. Ion migration originates in the soft lattice of the halide perovskite framework and its low defect-formation energy, but there are many different strategies to reduce its effects, from compositional engineering of materials and device architecture changes to additives and strain engineering. The field has made great progress in understanding the origin and properties of mobile ions in halide perovskites and has improved operational stability beyond expectations. Nonetheless, there are still ample opportunities to further improve the long-term durability of perovskite solar cells, either by reducing ion migration or its effect on solar cell efficiency.

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Fig. 1: Overview of ion migration pathways and effects in metal halide perovskites.
Fig. 2: Schematic overview of different measurement techniques to study ion migration in metal halide perovskites.
Fig. 3: Mobile ion-induced device degradation and efficiency losses.
Fig. 4: Pathways towards achieving durable and efficient perovskite solar cells.

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Acknowledgements

The work of J.T., E.C.G. and B.E. is part of the Dutch Research Council and was performed at the AMOLF research institute. J.V.M. appreciates the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation via PRIMA project no. 193174 and European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme for project no. 101114653. S.T. acknowledges funding from Vidi (Project VI.Vidi.213.091) from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The work of W.T. received funding from the ERC programme under Grant Agreement no. 851676. C.D. thanks the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for generous support within the framework of SPP 2196 project (PERFECT PVs). A.G. thanks Grant PID2022-141850OB-C21 funded by MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF/EU. The related work of M.S.I. received funding from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/X038777/1; EP/X012263/1). The work of B.E. received funding from the ERC under Grant Agreement no. 947221. E.C.G. received funding from the ERC under Grant Agreement no. 101043783.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. AMOLF, Science Park 104, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Jarla Thiesbrummel, Erik C. Garnett & Bruno Ehrler

  2. Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany

    Jarla Thiesbrummel

  3. Department of Chemistry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Jovana V. Milić

  4. Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland

    Jovana V. Milić

  5. Institut für Physik, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Chemnitz, Germany

    Carsten Deibel

  6. Materials Simulation and Modelling, Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Shuxia Tao

  7. Center for Computational Energy Research, Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Shuxia Tao

  8. IMD-3 Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany

    Thomas Kirchartz

  9. Faculty of Engineering and CENIDE, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany

    Thomas Kirchartz

  10. Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM), Universitat Jaume I, Castelló, Spain

    Antonio Guerrero

  11. Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Petra Cameron

  12. Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Petra Cameron

  13. Institute of Computational Physics, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland

    Wolfgang Tress

  14. Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    M. Saiful Islam

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Contributions

Sections were primarily written by the authors specified as follows. The chemistry of ion migration in halide perovskites: J.V.M., M.S.I. and S.T. Measurement techniques and visualization of ion migration: C.D. and E.C.G. Effects of ion migration on solar cell performance: A.G., J.T., S.T. and T.K. Suppression of ion migration effects in materials and solar cell devices: A.G., M.S.I., P.C. and W.T. J.T. and B.E. integrated the different sections and coordinated the project. All authors contributed to editing and revision of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Bruno Ehrler.

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Thiesbrummel, J., Milić, J.V., Deibel, C. et al. Ion migration in perovskite solar cells. Nat Rev Chem (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-025-00790-8

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