# SKKU and partners produce perovskite films with 26.5% efficiency via eutectic engineering

- Published: 2026-11-08 02:40 UTC
- Section: Power & Energy › Energy
- Tags: perovskite thin film, eutectic engineering, solar cell efficiency, halide perovskite, SKKU, Science
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-3dd2e287af25ba1e28bb15c3_skku_and_partners/

**Researchers used a volatile eutectic additive to cut defect density, producing solar cells with 26.5% efficiency and LEDs with 26.1% external quantum efficiency.**

![SKKU and partners produce perovskite films with 26.5% efficiency via eutectic engineering](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/1817854e00001bf5.jpg)
*Dennis Schroeder / National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain*

An international research group led by Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), working with KRICT, UC San Diego, and Princeton University, developed low-defect halide perovskite thin films using eutectic engineering. The findings were published in the journal Science [1]. The team added a combination of zinc bromide and methylammonium chloride to the perovskite precursor, creating an additive system that melts at lower temperatures than its individual components.

## Eutectic crystallization and defect reduction

During thermal annealing at approximately 100°C, the eutectic mixture liquefied locally at the crystal grain boundaries. Nanoprobe x-ray microscopy showed that this transient liquid phase accelerated atomic diffusion, allowing neighboring crystal grains to merge and lowering intragranular structural defect density [1]. The annealing process evaporated methylammonium chloride while causing zinc to segregate along grain boundaries. This mechanism homogenized the halide distribution across the layer. Measurements revealed a charge-carrier lifetime of approximately 295 microseconds and a surface recombination velocity of 0.3 centimeters per second, reducing carrier losses to levels comparable to passivated silicon [1].

## Photovoltaic and light-emitting performance

Small-area perovskite solar cells produced with the volatile eutectic reached a power conversion efficiency of 26.5%, certified at 25.9%, with an open-circuit voltage of 1.208 V in an n-i-p architecture [1]. Perovskite minimodules with an active area exceeding 15 square centimeters showed a 23.9% efficiency. Small-area cells incorporating a poly[bis(4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine] hole transport layer maintained 85.8% of their initial 24.1% efficiency after 1,400 hours of continuous operation at 85°C [1]. Utilizing the same material platform and device architecture, the team configured light-emitting diodes that demonstrated a 26.1% external quantum efficiency [1].

## Sources

1. [Science](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aeb4554)
2. [EurekAlert](https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1150559)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-3dd2e287af25ba1e28bb15c3_skku_and_partners/