Lightweight and Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells: From Terrestrial Applications to Space Testing

Stepan Demchyshyn^a^,^b^,^c, Christoph Putz^a^,^b, Lukas Lehner^a^,^b, Bekele Hailegnaw^a^,^b, Phillip Jahelka^d, Magdalena Breitwieser^a^,^b, Sercan Özen^f, Andrea Denker^g, Jürgen Bundesmann^g, Alina Dittwald^g, Dilara Karabulut^g, Philipp Tockhorn^c, Steve Albrecht^c, Felix Lang^f, Markus Scharber^e, Michael Kelzenberg^d, Harry Atwater^d, Martin Kaltenbrunner^a^,^b

^aDivision of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria

^bSoft Materials Lab, Linz Institute of Technology, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria

^cDepartment Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Berlin, Germany

^dDepartment of Applied Physics and Material Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

^eLinz Institute for Organic Solar Cells/Institute of Physical Chemistry, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria

^fInstitute Freigeist Juniorgroup, Radiation Tolerant Electronics with Soft Semiconductors (ROSI), University of Potsdam, Potsdam-Golm, Germany

^gProtons for Therapy, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Berlin, Germany

Materials for Sustainable Development Conference (MATSUS)
Proceedings of MATSUS Fall 2026 Conference (MATSUSFall26)

D2 Functional Materials for Emerging Photovoltaics: from Everyday Integration to Extreme Environments

Palma, Spain, 2026 October 26th - 30th

Organizers: Jessica Barichello, Stefania Cacovich and Fabio Matteocci

Oral, Stepan Demchyshyn, presentation 088
Publication date: 22nd July 2026

Metal halide perovskite solar cells offer a promising route toward lightweight space photovoltaics (PV) due to their high specific power, low-cost and low-temperature processing, as well as mechanically compliant form factors. Here, we will discuss the development of ultrathin and flexible perovskite PV devices and their transition from powering terrestrial energy-autonomous systems [1, 2] to space-relevant operation [3].

Particular focus will be placed on low-Earth-orbit (LEO) testing of perovskite solar cells aboard the SSPD-1 (Space Solar Power Demonstrator 1) /ALBA mission, supported by laboratory studies under AM0 illumination, controlled temperature conditions, and high-energy proton irradiation. Structurally matched rigid and ultrathin flexible devices were evaluated in the lab from −80 to +80 °C, showing broadly reversible temperature-dependent behavior, with low-temperature losses mainly linked to transport and contact limitations rather than irreversible absorber degradation. In-operando irradiation with 68 MeV protons at a fluence of 2x1012 p+ cm-2 demonstrated strong radiation resilience, with ultrathin flexible devices retaining more than 92% of their initial efficiency after a dose equivalent to decades in LEO. In orbit, the best-performing rigid perovskite solar cell exhibited stable and reversible photoresponse during a 44-day operational window ending nearly 100 days after launch, retaining performance close to its pre-flight state despite repeated eclipse cycles and temperature variations. At the same time, the flight experiment revealed key device-level bottlenecks, including severe pre-flight environmental degradation of ultrathin flexible cells, substrate darkening, and performance losses associated with interfaces, charge-transport layers, and encapsulation. These results highlight the distinction between intrinsic perovskite radiation tolerance and full-device durability. Finally, broader challenges and opportunities for lightweight perovskite PV in space will be discussed.

References:

[1] Hailegnaw, B., Demchyshyn, S., Putz, C., Lehner, L. E., Mayr, F., Schiller, D., ... & Kaltenbrunner, M. (2024). Flexible quasi-2D perovskite solar cells with high specific power and improved stability for energy-autonomous drones. Nature Energy, 9(6), 677-690.

[2] Min, J., Demchyshyn, S., Sempionatto, J.R., Song, Y., Hailegnaw, B., Xu, C., Yang, Y., Solomon, S., Putz, C., Lehner, L.E. and Schwarz, J.F., 2023. An autonomous wearable biosensor powered by a perovskite solar cell. Nature electronics, 6(8), pp.630-641.

[3] Putz, C., Lehner, L.E., Demchyshyn, S., Hailegnaw, B., Jahelka, P., Breitwieser, M., Özen, S., Denker, A., Bundesmann, J., Dittwald, A.H. and Karabulut, D., 2026. Beyond Earth: Resilience of Quasi‐2D Perovskite Solar Cells in Space (Adv. Mater. 31/2026). Advanced Materials, 38(31), p.e73432.

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