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A 2022 study used a ferrocene-derived molecule called FcTc2 to improve an inverted perovskite solar cell. The team reported 25% power-conversion efficiency, with an independent laboratory confirming 24.3%, and the cell retained more than 95% of its initial power after a 1,000-hour accelerated stress test. Those figures describe a particular device and test—not a proven outdoor lifetime or today’s overall efficiency record.
What the researchers changed
The study focused on an inverted perovskite solar cell, an architecture in which the charge-selective layers are arranged differently from those in conventional perovskite designs. The researchers inserted a thin molecular interlayer, ferrocenyl-bis-thiophene-2-carboxylate (FcTc2), between the electron-transporting layer and the perovskite absorber. Chemistry World’s 2022 report describes the work; City University of Hong Kong’s account identifies the same device approach.
The proposed benefit is twofold: the ferrocene center may assist charge extraction, while the molecule’s side groups interact with the perovskite and help suppress ion migration linked to degradation. The molecular structure matters; the result is not evidence that any ferrocene additive will produce the same effect. Organometallic chemist Nicholas Long, quoted by Chemistry World, emphasized the importance of the metallocene’s side arms.
What the 25% efficiency figure means
The research team reported a champion power-conversion efficiency of 25%; an independent testing laboratory confirmed 24.3%, according to Chemistry World. Power-conversion efficiency measures the share of incident light power converted into electrical power under the measurement conditions. The 25% figure was presented as a record for inverted perovskite devices at the time, not as the current record for all perovskite solar cells. Results across device architectures and later studies are not directly interchangeable.
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CityU’s report quotes researcher Zonglong Zhu calling the result a record and saying the cells passed a stability test set by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). That is Zhu’s characterization in the university account; it should not be read as an IEC certification of commercial product performance.
What the 1,000-hour stability test showed
Under continuous solar-equivalent illumination at 85°C and 85% relative humidity, the reported cells retained more than 95% of their initial power after 1,000 hours. These are accelerated laboratory stress conditions. The result indicates performance retention in that specified test, but it does not establish how many years the cells would last outdoors.
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Perovskites can degrade through ion-related processes that are difficult to extrapolate from a fixed-duration test. Chemistry World quotes Georgia Tech materials scientist Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena warning that ion-induced degradation adds a longer-term variable that is not yet fully understood. Zhu also noted that it is impractical to test a device for 20 years before commercializing it. His view that the cell behaved similarly to silicon in the cited stress test is an attributed comparison, not proof of equivalent field lifetimes.
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How later ferrocene research compares
A 2025 peer-reviewed study examined two different ferrocene-derived interlayer molecules. Both helped passivate undercoordinated lead sites in the perovskite. The more readily oxidized molecule also changed and made the surface work function more uniform, a property that can improve charge extraction. The authors reported a 25.16% champion efficiency and more than 92% power retention after 1,000 hours of maximum-power-point operation at 65°C. The 2025 paper describes those results.
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The 2025 result is follow-up evidence for the broader idea that ferrocene-derived molecules can tune interfaces, not a repeat of the FcTc2 experiment. Its molecule, temperature, and operating test differ from the 2022 stress test, so the retention percentages should not be ranked as if they came from identical conditions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What remains between a lab result and a solar product
In March 2026, Imperial College London described a separate approach using single-component ferrocene dopants in hole-transport layers. The institutional account says larger-area devices and real-world operating conditions remain under investigation. This is a different materials strategy from placing FcTc2 at the electron-transport/perovskite interface, and it does not show that the 2022 design is commercially deployed. Imperial’s report provides that current context.
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For any stability comparison, check the cell architecture and chemistry as well as encapsulation, illumination, atmosphere, temperature, humidity, test mode, and duration. A laboratory retention result is meaningful only alongside those conditions; it cannot by itself answer how a panel will perform over years in a specific climate.
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