Why the result matters
Researchers affiliated with Dalian University of Technology and partner institutions in China and the United States have presented a method for producing more uniform perovskite solar-cell films as fabrication moves beyond tiny laboratory devices. Their paper appeared in Nature Communications on 31 October 2026. The key results were a champion 26.94% power-conversion efficiency for a small test cell (26.66% independently certified) and 24.60% for a larger micro-module with a 21.54 cm² aperture (24.02% certified). These are experimental devices, not commercial panels.
Building a better starting layer
Perovskites are promising photovoltaic materials because very thin active layers can convert sunlight into electricity efficiently. Scaling up, however, exposes variations in film thickness, orientation and crystallinity that can lower performance. The team used a two-step deposition process and a solution-based treatment to turn lead iodide (PbI₂) clusters into vertically arranged nanowires. The researchers say those nanowires acted as a scaffold when the next material was deposited, helping ions exchange and promoting more homogeneous perovskite formation.
What the experiments established
In-situ grazing-incidence small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS and GIWAXS) let the authors track ordering in the starting PbI₂ film and its conversion into the final absorber. The observations supported their explanation for improved film uniformity and preferred orientation. The best small device, measured through a 0.0618 cm² mask aperture, reached 26.94%, while the independently certified efficiency was 26.66%. A 21.54 cm² micro-module achieved 24.60% in the authors' measurement and a certified 24.02%. These different figures must not be conflated, and the small cell's performance should not be presented as the module result.
The limits of the finding
The study offers a reproducible research strategy worth exploring, but does not by itself establish industrial manufacturing yields, cost competitiveness or years of outdoor durability. Moisture resistance, encapsulation, sustained performance and factory-scale consistency all require separate evidence. The micro-module is a meaningful scale-up demonstration, not evidence that household rooftop panels using this exact process are on sale.
Source
M. Wang, Y. Zhao, Z. Suo and colleagues, “High-performance devices from lab-scale to micro module directed by vertical PbI₂ homogeneous growth perovskite films,” Nature Communications, published 31 October 2026, DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-79173-6. The publisher identifies this as an early peer-reviewed accepted article pending final editorial production.
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