journal article·2026-02Open access

Tandem Takeoff: Powering Tomorrow with Industrial‐Grade Perovskite/Silicon Solar Cells

Maria Vasilopoulou, Di Huang, Jue Gong, Faming Li, Hao Zhang, Yinqing Sun, Lin Mao, Ermioni Polydorou, Ioannis G. Aviziotis, Leonidas C. Palilis, Onurcan Kaya, Stephan Roche, Jordi Arbiol, Dimitrios Davazoglou, Emmanuel Kymakis, Lei Liu, Kuan Sun, Abd Rashid bin Mohd Yusoff, Mingzhen Liu, Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin

Advanced Energy Materials· Volume 16· Issue 5

Abstract

Abstract Surpassing the Shockley‐Queisser (S‐Q) limit to realize photovoltaic efficiencies that significantly exceed those of traditional silicon solar cells (SSCs) remains a fundamental aspiration within the solar energy research community. The advent of multi‐junction tandem cells presents a highly promising strategy to achieve this ambitious goal. Owing to their adjustable bandgaps and exceptional power conversion efficiencies (PCEs), perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as leading candidates for the top cell position in tandem device architectures, thereby advancing the frontier of next‐generation photovoltaic technologies. Recent advancements have propelled the certified PCE of two‐terminal monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells (PSTs) to 34.85% as of 2025, significantly surpassing the 27.81% efficiency of single‐junction crystalline silicon cells and the 27.3% achieved by standalone PSCs. This review synthesizes recent progress in the design and optimization of perovskite top cells, emphasizing strategies that enable highly efficient and stable monolithic PSTs. Particular attention is given to fabrication techniques that ensure robust integration of perovskite and charge transport layers onto the silicon substrate, whether the silicon surface is polished or textured. The review also examines state‐of‐the‐art approaches for modifying the bulk, surface, and interfaces of functional layers, as well as electrode engineering, all aimed at optimizing carrier transport and reducing recombination losses. Finally, the persistent challenges facing the field are discussed and perspectives and design guidelines are offered to propel future research directions, with the ultimate goal of advancing perovskite/silicon tandem technology toward widespread industrial adoption.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Perovskite Materials and Applications · solar cell performance optimization · Silicon and Solar Cell Technologies

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos Agia Paraskevi Attica 15341 Greece

School of Materials and Energy University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 China

School of Chemical Engineering National Technical University of Athens Heroon Polytechneiou 9, Zografou Campus Zografou 15771 Greece

Department of Physics University of Patras Patras 26504 Greece

Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology ‐ ICN2 (CSIC and BIST) Campus UAB, Bellaterra Barcelona Catalonia 08193 Spain

Department of Electronic Engineering Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) Campus UAB Bellaterra Barcelona 08193 Spain

School of Engineering RMIT University Melbourne Victoria 3001 Australia

ICREA Pg. Lluís Companys 23 Barcelona Catalonia 08010 Spain

Electrical Engineering Department Hellenic Mediterranean University Heraklion, Crete 71410 Greece

MOE Key Laboratory of Low‐grade Energy Utilization Technologies and Systems School of Energy & Power Engineering Chongqing University Chongqing 400044 China

Department of Physics, Faculty of Science Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Johor Bahru 81310 Malaysia

State Key Laboratory Electronic Thin Film and Integrated Devices University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731 China

School of Integrated Circuits Southeast University Wuxi Jiangsu 214026 China

Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Sion 1015 Switzerland

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China · Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities · Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province · Yalong River Joint Fund · Departament de Salut, Generalitat de Catalunya

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