GIFT Associate Professor Hao Chen's Research Team Publishes in Joule: In situ constructing mortise-and-tenon passivation on perovskite toward photothermally durable photovoltaic

A research team led by Associate Professor Hao Chen from the Global Institute of Future Technology (GIFT), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has published a paper in Joule titled “In situ constructing mortise‑and‑tenon passivation on perovskite toward photothermally durable photovoltaic” in collaboration with researchers from East China Normal University. The work introduces a molecular strategy inspired by classical mortise-and-tenon joints to lock the passivator onto the perovskite surface, significantly improving both efficiency and heat‑light stability.

Perovskite solar cells, as a promising next-generation photovoltaic technology, have achieved impressive efficiencies; however, their commercial viability is undermined by poor photothermal durability, primarily because the fragile surface passivation tends to detach under thermal and light stress.

Figure 1. In situ construction of the mortise-and-tenon passivation

Figure 2. Investigation of phase and morphology changes after thermal aging

Figure 3. Thermal stability of mortise-and-tenon passivation on perovskite films

Figure 4. Photovoltaic performance and photothermal stability of the PSCs

The strategy uses cyclic crown ethers as mortises that simultaneously bind the passivating molecules via hydrogen bonds and the perovskite substrate via electrostatic interactions. By optimizing the crown ether ring size (dibenzo-21-crown-7 ether), the researchers achieve a passivation system that combines excellent optoelectronic performance with robust thermal and light stability.

The best devices achieved a maximum efficiency of 26.82% (certified quasi‑steady‑state at 26.35%) and retained 91.8% of their initial efficiency after 1,000 hours of ISOS‑L‑3 photothermal aging. The device also withstands 100 °C operation, with a T88 lifetime exceeding 200 hours, providing a practical surface‑passivation method for stable perovskite photovoltaics.

The paper is co‑first authored by Dr. Lingfang Zheng, a postdoctoral fellow from the research team, with Associate Professor Hao Chen as the corresponding author.

Paper Link:
Sun, N., Zheng, L., Jiang, X. et al., In situ constructing mortise‑and‑tenon passivation on perovskite toward photothermally durable photovoltaic. Joule (2026).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2026.102588

Author Profile

Lingfang Zheng

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Future Photovoltaics Research Center, Global Institute of Future Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Supervisor: Associate Professor Hao Chen). She is a recipient of the Shanghai Super Postdoctoral Incentive Program and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation General Program. She earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Huaqiao University. Her research interests focus on crystallization engineering of narrow-bandgap Sn–Pb perovskites and the development of highly efficient and stable all-perovskite tandem solar cells. She has published 22 SCI papers, including 7 first-author or co-first-author articles in prestigious journals such as Joule, Advanced Energy Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, and Nano Research.

Hao Chen

Tenure-track Associate Professor and Ph.D. supervisor at GIFT, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He has been selected for the National High-Level Young Talent Program (Overseas), named one of MIT Technology Review's "35 Innovators Under 35" Asia Pacific, and recognized as a Siyuan Young Scholar at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He has also received support from the Shanghai Pujiang Talent Program and Shanghai QiYuan Innovation Foundation. He received his Ph.D. degree in 2020 through a joint doctoral program between the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and ShanghaiTech University under the supervision of Professor Zhijun Ning. From 2021 to 2024, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto and Northwestern University under the supervision of Professor Edward H. Sargent. He joined Shanghai Jiao Tong University in November 2024. His research focuses on the development and application of efficient and stable single/multi-junction perovskite photovoltaic devices. He has set multiple world records and was the first to achieve certified efficiencies for inverted-structure perovskite photovoltaic devices, surpassing those of conventional n-i-p structures. Prof. Chen has published multiple papers as the first author (including co-first author) or corresponding author in top journals such as Science (3), Nature (3), Nat. Photonics, Nat. Mater., Nat. Energy, Nat. Nanotechnol, Nat. Commun., JACS (2), Adv. Mater. (4). 17 papers are ESI highly cited, with over 9,300 citations. He currently serves as a young editorial board member for journals including Nano-Micro Letters, InfoMat, and eScience. He is also an independent reviewer for more than 30 journals, including Science, Nature Energy, Nature Photonics, JACS, and Advanced Materials.