New Perspective in Energy & Environmental Science on Thin Film Perosvktie-based Multijunction Solar Cells
July 1, 2026
Our group recently published a new Perspective article in Energy & Environmental Science (EES), one of the leading journals in the energy research field, titled "Why More Junctions Do Not Yet Deliver: Interconnection Challenges in Perovskite Multijunction Solar Cells". The work was led by Rik Hooijer, Erkan Aydin (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität), Sunwoo Kim, Doyun Im, and Sangwook Lee (Kyungpook National University); Cong Chen and Dewei Zhao (Sichuan University).
What the Perspective Covers
The article addresses a critical but often overlooked bottleneck in next-generation photovoltaics: while single-junction solar cells are approaching their practical efficiency ceiling, perovskite-based multijunction (tandem) architectures promise to break through this limit by reducing thermalization losses and making better use of the solar spectrum. However, the perspective argues that despite tandem designs no longer being a new concept in the photovoltaic community, the interconnection layers that link sub-cells together remain a major unresolved engineering challenge holding back real-world performance gains.pubs.rsc+1
Key Highlights
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Examines why adding more junctions to a solar cell stack does not automatically translate into proportionally higher efficiency or stability gains.
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Analyzes the specific interconnection-related bottlenecks — electrical, optical, and mechanical — that limit the practical benefits of multijunction perovskite architectures.
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Charts future research directions to address these interconnection challenges and unlock the full potential of perovskite-based multijunction solar cells.
Open Access
This Perspective is published as open access, meaning the full article is freely available to read without a subscription — we'd encourage readers, collaborators, and the wider photovoltaics community to access the complete paper directly on the RSC website for the full technical discussion and figures.
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