Beyond the Horizon: Exploration of Perovskite Solar Cells in Extreme Environments

Current research on perovskite solar cells (PSCs) predominantly targets terrestrial applications, with limited studies in extreme environments. Deploying PSCs in space and underwater necessitates meeting stringent performance and stability criteria. For space, PSCs must withstand high radiation and temperature extremes, while underwater, light intensity attenuation, spectrum changes, and varying water quality can degrade PSCs performance. Inspiringly, PSCs offer several advantages, including being lightweight, cost-effective, easy to manufacture, and having adjustable bandgaps. These features make them more promising for applications in extreme conditions versus other photovoltaic (PV) devices. To further advance research on PSCs in extreme environments, this concept briefly describes the background of PSC applications in extreme conditions, summarizes the environmental characteristics and their impacts on the devices in both space and underwater settings, and comprehensively reviews the latest advancements in these fields. Finally, potential strategies for ensuring the long-term stable operation of PSCs under extreme stressors are proposed.