Ionic Liquid Technologies in Perovskite Solar Cells
Summary
In recent years, ionic liquids have emerged as a versatile class of functional materials for the optimisation of perovskite solar cells. Their negligible vapour pressure, tunable ionic structures and inherent solvation abilities enable precise control over perovskite crystallisation, defect passivation and interfacial engineering. By acting as green solvent alternatives, directed additives or surface capping agents, ionic liquids facilitate the formation of uniform, large-grained perovskite films with reduced trap densities and improved environmental resistance. Mixed-dimensional heterostructures, in which low-dimensional perovskite phases are selectively introduced at grain boundaries, illustrate the capacity of ionic liquid engineering to suppress non-radiative recombination and enhance charge-carrier lifetimes. These advances have driven power conversion efficiencies beyond 24% while simultaneously extending operational stability under humidity and thermal stress. The integration of ionic liquids into scalable fabrication routes offers a promising pathway towards commercially viable, durable perovskite photovoltaic modules and underpins their potential to deliver low-cost, high-efficiency solar energy on a global scale.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Ionic Liquid Technologies in Perovskite Solar Cells publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in ionic liquid technologies in perovskite solar cells across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Ionic liquid: A salt composed entirely of ions, liquid at near room temperature, with low volatility and highly tunable chemical properties.
Perovskite: A crystalline structure, typically ABX3, where A and B are cations and X is an anion, noted for superior optoelectronic properties.
Power conversion efficiency (PCE): The ratio of electrical power output to incident solar power input, expressed as a percentage.
Defect passivation: The process of neutralising or eliminating electronic trap states in semiconductor materials to reduce recombination losses.
Mixed-dimensional perovskite: A heterostructure combining perovskite phases of different dimensionalities (e.g. 1D/3D) to enhance film stability and charge transport.
Grain boundary: The interface between adjacent crystallites in a polycrystalline film, where defects and trap states often accumulate.
References
- Ultra-uniform perovskite crystals formed in the presence of tetrabutylammonium bistriflimide afford efficient and stable perovskite solar cells. Energy & Environmental Science (2024).
- Ionic liquid engineering enabled in‐plane orientated 1D perovskite nanorods for efficient mixed‐dimensional perovskite photovoltaics. InfoMat (2023).
- Room Temperature Ionic Liquid Capping Layer for High Efficiency FAPbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells with Long‐Term Stability. Advanced Science (2024).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.