A collaboration between CINE researchers and scientists from China and Russia offers a unique perspective on the challenge of integrating perovskite solar cells into the photovoltaic market.

In a perspective article recently published in the scientific journal Energy Advances, the authors highlight that the same materials from the perovskite family that degrade rapidly on Earth under moderate environmental conditions exhibit exceptional stability in space under extreme conditions.

It is widely known that perovskite solar cells have already achieved very high levels of efficiency in converting sunlight into electricity, but they are hampered by their low durability, caused by the degradation that the perovskite layer undergoes when exposed to the environment. This limitation has encouraged numerous studies proposing various strategies to increase the stability of perovskites.

However, much less publicized is the knowledge highlighted in this new article, which shows the resistance of perovskites to high doses of radiation and the enormous temperature range of space. These characteristics, combined with the lightness and flexibility of perovskite solar cells, make these devices very promising for providing energy in satellites, for example.

“In this collaboration with research groups from China and Russia, we work together with the goal of addressing topics at the forefront of knowledge in perovskite, such as applications in space and the issue of environmental stability,” says Professor Ana Flávia Nogueira (Unicamp), researcher and director of CINE. “Since there is no water in space, perovskite does not have the problem of low stability due to humidity that it has on Earth, and it is very resilient to cosmic radiation,” explains the scientist, who is one of the pioneers in the study of perovskite solar cells in Brazil and has become an international reference on the subject.

Ana Flávia is the corresponding author of the perspective article, whose first author is André Fonseca, a postdoctoral researcher at CINE. Published in March of this year, the paper has already been highlighted by the journal as one of the best of 2026 based on the exceptionally positive opinions received during peer review, along with the journal editor’s assessment of the article’s relevance and impact.

The idea for the paper emerged from an online workshop held in June 2025, which brought together groups from Brazil, China, and Russia dedicated to perovskite research. The workshop took place within the context of a project approved in a CNPq call for proposals aimed at consolidating collaborations between BRICS countries.

BRICS is a grouping of large emerging economies, mainly Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Together, these countries represent almost 25% of the global gross domestic product, in addition to being important producers and consumers of energy, and are fundamental agents of the energy transition. In 2024, the coalition generated 51% of the world’s solar energy, marking a very significant increase compared to the 15% recorded a decade earlier.

“I hope that this collaboration with our BRICS colleagues continues and advances even further,” says the director of CINE. “We are all developing countries and we have made a very large contribution in the area of ​​perovskite,” she adds.

According to the scientist, CINE is initiating a new line of research in this area. “Now we will develop perovskite halides using physical methods, such as thermal evaporation and sputtering,” she announces. “In addition, we will produce solar cells in a tandem configuration, which is where the perovskite is placed on a silicon cell. This is a novelty here in the country,” concludes Ana Flávia.

The full perspective article, titled “Perovskites Beyond Efficiency: Stability Challenges from Space to Earth,” can be downloaded free of charge from the “Energy Advances Recent HOT Articles” collection, available here.