Silvia Mariotti (HZB)

Silvia Mariotti is a researcher at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), where she focuses on fundamental yet application-oriented questions in modern materials and energy research. Her scientific career is characterized by a solid academic background and experience in an international research environment. At the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, she has consistently distinguished herself through her work in recent years and has made significant contributions to research projects aimed at improving our understanding of complex materials science processes. Her findings have garnered attention both within the scientific community and beyond. In this interview, Silvia Mariotti discusses challenges and successes in research, as well as what motivates her to tackle new scientific questions.

Interview:

What are you currently working on?

Silvia Mariotti: I am currently working on all-perovskite multi-junction solar cells, focusing on improving efficiency and stability. Our research combines materials development with device engineering to enable next-generation photovoltaic technologies.

What is your personal motivation?

Silvia Mariotti: My main motivation is to contribute to sustainable energy solutions. Developing highly efficient solar technologies is a powerful way to accelerate the energy transition, particularly as multijunction devices can deliver very high power-to-weight ratios, enabling applications beyond conventional photovoltaics.

What kind of challenges are you facing in the near future?

Silvia Mariotti: Key challenges include reducing losses from non-radiative recombination and parasitic absorption, developing fabrication pathways that avoid degradation, improving long-term stability, and scaling up fabrication while maintaining high performance.

If you could make a wish for something for your research, what would you wish for?

Silvia Mariotti: I would wish for a broader library of stable, high-performance materials and faster ways to discover them using robotics and AI. And, perhaps a slightly optimistic wish, that policy makers continue to support research in this field—so that within the next decade this technology becomes widely accessible and helps tackle the global energy crisis and climate change.

Where do you see your discipline in 5-10 years? 

Silvia Mariotti: In 5–10 years, I expect perovskite-based multi-junction solar cells to move from laboratory demonstrations to commercial deployment, particularly in tandem and triple-junction configurations, significantly increasing efficiencies and reducing the cost of renewable electricity, with their lightweight thin-film architecture offering the added benefit of flexible integration for smart-city applications.

ORCID: 0000-0002-7163-9480