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Mechanically interlocked polymer scaffolds enable high-efficiency printed flexible perovskite photovoltaics

Nature Synthesis (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

Flexible perovskite solar cells achieve efficient bendable energy conversion, enabling next-generation wearable devices. However, the transition from laboratory-scale prototypes to industrial-scale modules is impeded by the non-uniform deposition of perovskite colloidal particles during printing, resulting in diminished power conversion efficiency. Inspired by biological interlocking mechanisms, we synthesized mechanically interlocked networks embedded in perovskite precursor inks, to construct a three-dimensional network that immobilizes perovskite colloidal particles, suppressing aggregation during printing. The dynamic network enables uniform co-deposition of perovskite colloidal particles under shear-induced flow, yielding high-quality crystalline films with enhanced optoelectronic properties. Flexible perovskite solar cells fabricated using mechanically interlocked network-doped precursor ink exhibit superior performance, achieving record power conversion efficiencies of 26.22% for small devices (0.10 cm2) and 19.44% for larger modules (100 cm2), alongside substantial improvements in long-term operational stability and mechanical robustness.

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Fig. 1: Interaction mechanism between MINs and MNs with perovskite.
Fig. 2: The mitigation mechanism of the uniform deposition of perovskite colloidal particles in the substrate.
Fig. 3: Crystallization behaviour analysis of the evolution from precursor ink to solid film on a flexible substrate of the reference perovskite ink and the MIN-doped perovskite ink.
Fig. 4: Uniform crystallization and residual stress release in flexible perovskite films.
Fig. 5: Photovoltaic performance and operational stability of flexible perovskite solar devices.

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All the data in the paper were derived from our group experiment and are therefore available. These data are published alongside the paper. Source data are available with this paper.

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Acknowledgements

Y.C. thanks the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2024YFF1401100). X.H. thanks the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (52222312, 52173169, 22461142139), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province (20242BAB24002, 20224ACB204007), Nanchang University Interdisciplinary Research Funding Program (202505300006), and the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (JCYJ20241202124937050). X.Y. thanks the NSFC (22525106). B.F. thanks the NSFC (52403323) and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2024M751238). GIWAXS was conducted at beamline BL16B1 at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Siyi Shi, Chenxiang Gong.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering/Film Energy Chemistry for Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory/Institute of Polymers and Energy Chemistry, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China

    Siyi Shi, Chenxiang Gong, Minqin Tao, Cong Wang, Xiaotian Hu & Yiwang Chen

  2. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering/Key Lab of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China

    Baojin Fan & Yiwang Chen

  3. Peking University Yangtze Delta Institute of Optoelectronics, Nantong, China

    Hao Yuan, Xiaotian Hu & Yiwang Chen

  4. State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, China

    Huawei Hu

  5. Department of Chemical Engineering/Interdisciplinary Research Center for Refining & Advanced Chemicals, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

    Muhammad Bilal Khan Niazi

  6. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Xuzhou Yan

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Contributions

Y.C. and X.H. conceived of and designed the experiment. S.S., C.G., M.T., B.F. and H.Y. fabricated and characterized the various photoelectric properties of the perovskite solar cells and films. S.S., C.W. and C.G. measured ink rheological properties and analysed the printing dynamic evolution. H.H. and M.B.K.N. analysed the perovskite film performance. X.Y. provided the materials for the experiments. All authors contributed to the data analysis, discussed the results and commented on the paper.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Xuzhou Yan, Xiaotian Hu or Yiwang Chen.

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Nature Synthesis thanks Renjun Guo and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Primary Handling Editor: Alexandra Groves, in collaboration with the Nature Synthesis team.

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Shi, S., Gong, C., Tao, M. et al. Mechanically interlocked polymer scaffolds enable high-efficiency printed flexible perovskite photovoltaics. Nat. Synth (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-025-00904-6

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