Russian Physicists Speed Up Development of Next-Generation Solar Cells
Scientists at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) have developed a mathematical modeling method for predicting the properties of some of the most promising materials for solar panels. Instead of testing material compositions one by one, researchers now have a precise tool for designing them with specific properties.
Halide perovskites are widely seen as a potential next step for solar power. These synthetic materials are crystalline semiconductors that reproduce the structure of the naturally occurring mineral perovskite. Silicon currently forms the basis of most solar panels, but producing silicon cells is highly energy-intensive and expensive.
A perovskite-based active layer can be deposited in liquid form onto almost any surface. The result is an exceptionally lightweight and flexible solar panel that can be integrated almost anywhere. Over the past 15 years, the efficiency of laboratory perovskite cells has risen from 3.8% to 27%, surpassing the performance of many commercial silicon panels.
The problem, however, comes down to the so-called bandgap – an energy barrier whose value for a solar cell must fall within a relatively narrow range. In the most widely used perovskites, the bandgap is too high, preventing the materials from operating efficiently.
Descriptor As a Masterkey
Until recently, chemists identified materials with a lower bandgap through trial and error, changing their components and testing the results. MIPT physicists decomposed the perovskite crystal structure into its constituent elements and used quantum-mechanical calculations to determine exactly how different combinations affect the energy barrier.
As Mikhail Talanov, a senior researcher at MIPT's Laboratory of Terahertz Spectroscopy and one of the study's authors, explained, “We found that everything is governed by two coordinated rotations in the crystal structure, and showed exactly how they need to be taken into account when designing solar panels.”
If these rotations can be locked in place, researchers can achieve the properties needed for perovskite solar cells. One way to do that would be to add larger molecules to the material's structure or create internal stress in films deposited on surfaces.
Building on the finding, the scientists developed a universal descriptor – a numerical measure that predicts the properties of any perovskite. Experiments confirmed that the descriptor works. In practice, the method could eliminate the need to test material components one by one and instead allow researchers to model new materials with high precision using mathematical algorithms. The materials developed with the new method could be used not only in solar panels but also to make superconductors and components for next-generation microelectronics.
Predicting Material Properties
The new method has two main areas of promise. First, it could move materials science from an experimental approach toward computational design. Mathematical models, quantum calculations and data-analysis algorithms could make it possible to predict a material's properties before creating a physical sample.
Second, the approach could help move halide perovskite solar panels from the laboratory into industrial production. Russian researchers still need to overcome several other shortcomings that currently stand in the way. The MIPT method could help address some of them.
Searching for Stable Perovskites
In recent years, Russian researchers have made significant progress in addressing the key challenges facing perovskite photovoltaics. In 2022, researchers at Ural Federal University and the Institute of Organic Synthesis of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences proposed a new class of materials that cost half as much as their counterparts. In 2025, researchers at the N. M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences used polymer additives to raise the efficiency of perovskite solar cells to 20%. In 2026, researchers at Perm National Research Polytechnic University, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, and the Federal Research Center for Problems of Chemical Physics and Medicinal Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences developed four new organic polymer materials that are twice as durable as standard perovskites.
From Scientific Method to Technology
Today, computational technologies are a competitive advantage in energy and microelectronics research worldwide. The MIPT development marks a shift toward digital methods for designing materials. The goal is not simply to improve specific solar-panel designs, but to create a universal computational tool that can be used to develop substances with specified properties. That could speed the development of new solar cells while also advancing fundamental science.
