Publication date: 5th November 2025
As space exploration continues to accelerate, the demand for lightweight, high-efficiency, and radiation-resilient photovoltaic technologies for satellites is rapidly increasing. Although multi-junction III–V solar cells remain the benchmark for space applications, their high cost motivates the development of alternative solutions. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as promising candidates due to their high specific power and inherent tolerance to radiation. While the self-healing behavior of PSCs has been primarily attributed to the migration of inorganic halide ions, the impact of proton irradiation on organic A-site cations remains insufficiently understood, limiting device stability under harsh space conditions.
Here, we systematically investigate proton-induced degradation in wide-band-gap Cs/formamidinium (FA)-based PSCs, which are suitable for tandem architectures in space environments. Proton irradiation tests combined with pre- and post-irradiation photovoltaic characterization reveal that damage to FA cations plays a critical role in perovskite degradation through the formation of volatile species. Advanced analytical techniques, including femtosecond laser ablation-assisted X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (fs-LA XPS) and time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis (ToF-ERDA), directly elucidate the depth-resolved chemical changes of A-site organic cations induced by proton exposure. Furthermore, time-resolved Kelvin probe force microscopy (tr-KPFM) provides mechanistic insight into the mitigation of radiation-induced damage. We demonstrate that treatment with propane-1,3-diammonium iodide (PDAI₂) effectively suppresses proton-induced decomposition of FA cations, thereby preserving the perovskite layer and enhancing device radiation stability. These findings highlight the importance of stabilizing organic A-site cations and provide a viable strategy for enabling PSCs in radiation-intensive space applications.
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