Source: https://www.mrs.org/spring2019/symposium-sessions/symposium-sessions-detail?code=ES15
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 06:21:57+00:00

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Power conversion efficiency (PCE) of lead halide perovskite solar cell (over 23%) has surpassed those of CIGS and CdTe, approaching the top value of crystalline Si cell. Our group has been able to achieve PCE over 21% by low cost ambient fabrication. However, high PCE of single-cell enabled by lead halide-based perovskite absorbers are now being saturated, taking the Shockley Queisser (SQ) limit of open-circuit voltage (VOC) (ca.1.32V) into account. Tandem cell making, which can further increases PCE up to 28% or more, leads to higher material and process cost and will raise a question if performance/cost ratio can be accepted in industry. Therefore, a smart way is to create a single cell which has high PCE comparable with that of GaAs (>28%) by reducing bandgap energy to <1.4 eV without accompaniment of increase in VOC loss. This possibility will be in a family of metal halide perovskite out of those depending on use of lead. In addition to such efficiency issue, high performance of organo lead halide materials is not compatible with robust high stability required for practical use. Ensuring the intrinsic thermal stability (desirably >200oC) of the perovskites is a key issue before industrialization. In addition, toxicity of lead-based perovskites are going to become the most formidable challenges for real use (commercialization), in particular, for applications to IoT society, which is one of the most promising field of perovskite photovoltaic device in terms of high voltage output even under weak illumination. These thoughts urge us to concentrate our next research of perovskite photovoltaics (PV) more on development of non-lead high efficiency absorbers. Sn perovskite is still a strong candidate because Sn(II) has been found to be stabilized against ambient air by metal doping method (such as Ge). Regarding Bi-based perovskites, we found AgBi2I7 as a promising all-inorganic absorber having high thermal and moisture stability. Stability also highly depends on the property of charge transport materials (CTMs), especially, the kind of hole transporter. Spiro-OMeTAD does not work at high temperature while P3HT, for example, is thermally stable. In our collaboration with JAXA, P3HT-based perovskite devices showed robust stability by exposure to high (100oC) and low (-80oC) temperatures and also to high energy particle radiations (iScience, 2018, 2, 148). Selection of CTMs is another important key in combination with non-lead perovskite materials. In conclusion, next direction of perovskite PV should be to enhance PV performance of non-lead all-inorganic semiconductor materials by extended compositional engineering, in parallel with developing thermally stable CTMs. Our on-going studies on non-lead perovskite materials in our group will be introduced in the talk.
Since the first report on the high efficiency, stable solid-state perovskite solar cell (PSC) in 2012 by our group, following two seed works on perovskite-sensitized liquid junction solar cells in 2009 and 2011, PSC demonstrated its power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 23.3% in 2018. According to Web of Science, publications on PSC increase exponentially since 2012 and total number of publications reaches already over 10,000 as of October 2018, which is indicative of a paradigm shift in photovoltaics. Although small area cell exhibited superb efficiency surpassing the performance of thin film technologies, scale-up technology is required toward commercialization. In addition, further higher efficiency toward Shockley–Queisser limit is required in parallel. In this talk, Large-area coating technology is introduced using perovskite cluster embedded coating solution, followed by brief introduction on history of perovskite solar cell. Bi-facial stamping method was developed for not only scale-up technique but also interface modification and low-temperature phase stabilization. For higher efficiency, managing recombination is critical. Methodology reducing recombination is developed via interface and bulk engineering. Current-voltage hysteresis is also discussed because hysteresis is related to the stability of perovskite solar cell. Ion migration is now visualized and confirmed to correlate with hysteresis.
Organic-inorganic perovskites enable a combination of useful organic and inorganic properties within a single molecular-scale composite and have attracted substantial interest for use within organic-inorganic electronic devices , in part due to the high carrier mobilities, long minority carrier lifetimes, tunable band gaps and relatively benign defects and grain boundaries for systems based on Group 14 metals (e.g., Ge, Sn and Pb) . Indeed, these materials have enabled unprecedented rapid improvement in perovskite photovoltaic performance to levels above 20% power conversion efficiency and with open circuit voltages above 1V for a single junction photovoltaic (PV) device . This talk will provide an historical perspective on foundational work related to the organic-inorganic perovskite semiconductors, including discussion of crystal structure flexibility [4,5], semiconducting properties, film deposition approaches and electronic device applications of the three-dimensional and lower-dimensional perovskite structures. Recent trends in the field, as they relate to application in photovoltaics and related devices, will also be coupled into this discussion.
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Metal halide perovskites are exciting materials for a range of optoelectronic devices. One of their most tantalizing features is the potential for tunable emission with high luminescence yields. Such properties are promising for reaching the radiative efficiency limits in single and multi-junction solar cells as well as color-tunable light-emitting diodes. However, there are a number of challenges in attaining high luminescence yields and color stability across a range of bandgaps.
Here, I will present a selection of our group’s ongoing work to understand the origin of non-radiative losses in a range of halide perovskite films, crystals and device systems, and how we can use this information to push materials and devices towards their efficiency limits. We use a selection of nano- and micro-scale imaging techniques including photoluminescence, photo-emission and nano-X-Ray-Diffraction microscopy to visualise the impact of defects and strain on local charge carrier recombination. We also employ passivation techniques designed to remove these spatially heterogeneous losses, which we demonstrate on small and large bandgap bulk 3D perovskites and 2D confined perovskite nano-platelets. Finally, we show that these approaches ultimately lead to improved solar cell and LED performance and bandgap stability.
In recent years, the organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite has gained an increasing research interest in academia for applications in thin film solar cells, due to rapidly increased efficiency (from 3.8 to 23.3% within a decade) , high absorption coefficient , low-cost fabrication process, and material availability . Among the hybrid perovskites, MAPbI3 (CH3NH3PbI3) based solar cells have shown high power conversion efficiencies but with several obstacles such as thermal instability, hysteresis loss at room temperature. Therefore, the commercialization of these solar cells is still a challenge. Understanding and resolving these issues necessitate the investigation of the sample at the atomic scale to determine the underlying fundamental processes.
Here, we present the growth and experimental characterization of thin MAPbI3 films on Au (111) under ultra-high vacuum conditions (UHV=1x10-10 Torr). The thin films were prepared by vacuum evaporation of the precursor molecules MAI and PbI2 with a thickness of a few monolayers (approx. 4 nm). We characterize the sample with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), obtaining information about the atomic structure, and chemical composition. For the electronic properties analysis, we used ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS), and inverse photoemission spectroscopy (IPES). Our study will provide the basis for further understanding ion incorporation and stability at the atomic scale.
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Stefano Razza, Sergio Castro-Hermosa, Aldo Di Carlo, and Thomas M. Brown, APL Materials 4, 091508 (2016).
Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites possess a diverse set of properties that make them excellent materials for a variety of applications. New perovskite compounds with complex structures and novel properties promise to further expand the applicability of this class of materials, but may require new processing approaches to be synthesized. Issues of solubility and degradation in the synthesis of complex perovskites can be addressed via resonant infrared matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (RIR-MAPLE). RIR-MAPLE is a physical vapor deposition technique that has been shown to deposit perovskite materials in a manner that preserves the integrity of the perovskite components and maintains the composition of the target source. [1, 2] Because RIR-MAPLE uses lower concentration solutions to form frozen targets (compared to conventional approaches) and has different deposition schemes available to deliver precursors to the substrate,  it is uniquely positioned to act as a framework for studying complex perovskites with limited solubility.
Using CH3NH3PbI3 (methylammonium lead triiodide, or MAPbI) as an initial model system, the effects of RIR-MAPLE solution concentration and deposition scheme were studied. Because MAPbI can easily be spin-cast and its properties have been widely studied, it acted as a reference to compare any effects of RIR-MAPLE deposition on material properties.
Baseline (21.7 mM) concentrations of CH3NH3I (methylammonium iodide, or MAI) and PbI2 were increased by a factor of 1.5 times to yield solutions that had high inorganic, high organic, and high overall component concentrations. Reference spin-casting solutions were created by using 1.4 and 1.6 M concentrations of MAI and PbI2 to create the same relative non-stoichiometric conditions as in the RIR-MAPLE solutions. Also, a small amount (~20 µL) of monoethylene glycol (MEG) was added to additional spin-cast solutions to observe possible effects on material properties because this chemical serves as a co-matrix to resonantly absorb laser energy during RIR-MAPLE deposition.
RIR-MAPLE deposition schemes based upon multiple source solutions within a partitioned target cup were adapted for MAPbI to drastically alter how perovskite precursors are delivered to the chosen substrate. Substrate temperatures were controlled across all deposition schemes to observe any effects on how precursors react in these schemes.
The crystallographic properties of all films were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and synchrotron grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS). Film morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The optoelectronic properties of the films were determined by photoluminescence and UV-Visible absorbance spectroscopies.
This work is important to establish fundamental growth mechanisms of perovskite thin films deposited by RIR-MAPLE and expands upon previous foundational studies. By demonstrating versatility in solution compositions and deposition schemes, RIR-MAPLE is positioned favorably to address the requirements to synthesize complex perovskite materials systems.
This research used beamline 11-BM of the National Synchrotron Light Source II, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Brookhaven National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-SC0012704.
We gratefully acknowledge support from the Center for Hybrid Organic Inorganic Semiconductors for Energy (CHOISE) an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science within the US Department of Energy.
Organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells are currently under the spotlight. Despite numerous advantages, their poor stability hinders commercialization of perovskite-based devices. To increase perovskite stability various strategies have been envisaged . Mixing different halides (I, Br, Cl) has been shown both experimentally and theoretically to have a strong impact on the device performance and stability [2-5]. However, the stabilizing effect of the halides critically depends on their distribution in the mixed compound, a topic that is currently under intense debate [6-8]. A fundamental understanding remains largely elusive regarding the correlation between the structure of the mixed-perovskites and their electronic properties at the atomic level.
In this work, combining scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), density functional theory (DFT) and UV/X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS/XPS), we reveal the exact location of I and Cl anions in the mixed CH3NH3PbBr3-yIy and CH3NH3PbBr3-zClz perovskite lattices. Additionally, we demonstrate the impact of halide-incorporation on the material electronic properties and stability. Furthermore, we determine the ideal Cl-incorporation ratio for stability increase without detrimental bandgap modification. The increased material stability induced by chlorine incorporation is verified by performing photoelectron spectroscopy on a device architecture. Our findings provide an important direction for the fabrication of stable perovskite devices.
 Noh, J. H.; Im, S. H.; Heo, J. H.; Mandal, T. N.; Seok, S. I., Chemical Management for Colorful, Efficient, and Stable Inorganic–Organic Hybrid Nanostructured Solar Cells. Nano Letters 2013, 13 (4), 1764-1769.
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 Luo, S.; Daoud, W.A. Materials 2016, 9, 123.
Incorporation of inorganic cations has been recently demonstrated a technique to enhance the efficiency and lifetime in perovskite solar cells. However, the understanding and correlation of ultrafast photophysics in relation with opto-electrical properties to the device performance are still lacking. Here, we systematically analysis the role of inorganic cations on the photophysics using photoluminescence techniques and correlate with photovoltaic properties. The lack of the integration of Rb+ with organic cations MAFA (MA, methylammonium, and FA, formamidinium,) leads to higher defect density and trap-assisted monomolecular recombination in thin films. While, the incorporation of Cs+, increases the perovskite grain size and shows longer charge carrier lifetime by mitigating the defects to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE); indicating the better incorporation of Cs+ to MAFA. While the concomitant presence of Rb+ with Cs+, delay the non-radiative losses by suppressing the defect density significantly in quaternary-cation based perovskite system (RbCsMAFA) compared to double-cation MAFA system. Lower defects density and a more balanced charge carrier diffusion length results the PCEs over 19% in quaternary-cation perovskites though photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) is comparable. While the concomitant incorporation of Rb+/Cs+ is the key to suppress the defects and charge carrier recombination for efficient photovoltaics, solitary integration of Rb+ with MAFA is still a challenge.
Due to their unique opto-electronic properties, metal halide perovskites are of great interest as solar energy material. At present, non-radiative losses prevent solar cell efficiencies to reach their theoretical maximum. In this work we suppressed the non-radiative decay in methylammonium lead iodide(MAPbI3) layers by exposing them to a light soaking treatment under ambient conditions. First of all, this treatment leads to an increase of the PL quantum efficiency from < 1% to 50%. Additionally, photo-induced time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) data demonstrate that while the mobility and the trap density remain constant, the light soaking treatment reduces the non-radiative band-to-band recombination between electrons and holes. We attribute the enhancement in effective carrier lifetimes to an increased fraction of radiative recombination, leading to enhanced recycling of carriers.1 These light soaking studies were extended to mixed cation, mixed halide perovskites, (FA0.79MA0.16Cs0.05) Pb (I1-xBrx)3 which are known to undergo phase separation under continuous illumination. For x < 0.5 we find that on light soaking in a nitrogen environment, the charge carrier lifetime increases, while for x > 0.5 the lifetime shortens. By analysing the TRMC traces, we propose that for x < 0.5 light soaking leads to a reduction of charge trapping in shallow states. Next, we investigated how additives such as K+, Cs+ and Rb+ affect the mobility and decay kinetics of photo-induced excess carriers in metal halide perovskites.2,3 The above results help to provide a framework for which cation and halide composition the best performance and stability can be expected.
1Brenes, R.; Guo, D.; et al. Metal Halide Perovskite Polycrystalline Films Exhibiting Properties of Single Crystals. Joule 2017,1, 155-167.
2Hu, Y.; et al. Perovskite Solar Cells: Understanding the Role of Cesium and Rubidium Additives in Perovskite Solar Cells: Trap States, Charge Transport, and Recombination. Advanced Energy Materials 2018, 8, 1870073.
3 Abdi-Jalebi, M.; et al. Maximizing and stabilizing luminescence from halide perovskites with potassium passivation. Nature 2018, 555, 497.
Halide perovskite nanocrystals demonstrate intriguing optical properties such as near unity quantum yields, fast radiative recombination and wide emission tunability. Importantly, not only their size plays a role, but also the dimensionality, as previously shown for 2D nanoplatelets (NPls), 1D nanowires and 0D quantum Dots (QDs). Particularly the NPls provide an excellent platform for understanding the fundamental properties of perovskites as their thickness can be tuned with monolayer-controlled precision. Due to a reduced screening effect, not only do they exhibit extremely high exciton binding energies but also strongly enhanced carrier cooling rates. Using transient absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy, we investigate the thickness-dependent properties of these nanoplatelets. In this presentation we present our insights into carrier relaxation, exciton-exciton annihilation, exciton diffusion in single NCs and NC films as well as energy transfer between NPls of varying thickness.
Hot carrier relaxation and transfer in the archetypal CH3NH3PbI3 is investigated using ultrafast pump-push-probe spectroscopy. Excited state absorption of thermalized carriers from the perovskite band edge to higher states is stimulated by using a push pulse, with carrier relaxation times consistent with the literature. Our results reveal evidential charge transfer to bathophenanthroline (bphen), an organic acceptor with energy levels 1 eV above the perovskite band edges. This ultrafast sub-ps charge transfer is only realized after overcoming the interfacial barrier between the perovskite and bphen. Utilising the push pulse with supporting theoretical analysis suggests that the broad photo-induced absorption band in the visible region unambiguously arises due to the promotion of excited carriers to higher excited states. Understanding the ultrafast charge transfer is crucial for the development of efficient, functional hot carrier solar cells and optoelectronic devices.
What Can Be Learned From the Self-Healing in Halide Perovskites?
Among the aspects of Halide Perovskites, HaPs, which make them such fascinating materials the different time-scales of the dynamics of interconnected processes stand out. Short-time behavior (< sec) is determined by electronic charge carrier dynamics, while longer time effects are typically due to atom/ion dynamics, characteristic of halide perovskites, such as ion / defect movement, self-healing and others [1-3]. These slower processes are likely interdependent and hitherto not (well) elucidated, both as phenomena per se, and in terms of effects on the performance of HaP-based devices.
Our recent work  provides clear evidence for self-healing, i.e., under certain conditions damage in optical properties can be reversed and, in particular, the status quo ante  can be re-established completely or mostly, in several types of Br-based HaP single crystals, as measured by 2-photon confocal microscopy. We demonstrated qualitatively but unequivocally that the effect is an intrinsic property of the materials, as it was measured in the bulk of single crystals, with typical times of minutes to hours.
Here we report on the products of decomposition and possible chemical pathways that can lead to self-healing, paying particular attention to kinetics of the phenomena. We include now quantitative results of our experiments following the degradation / healing process kinetics in situ and of the energy-dependent damage threshold.
We also show results for the more intensely studied Methylammonium, MAPbI3.
Furthermore we measure, analyze and explain the crucial differences between the light-induced damaging and recovery mechanisms in the bulk and at the surface under different atmospheres (i.e. air, N2, O2, CH3NH2, CH3COOH).
Finally, we measure and analyze the temperature dependence of the healing process, as it provides information about the energy of formation of the material from their binary halide constituents. This follows and compares to the reported positive enthalpy of formation of the Br and I MAPb perovskites [4-5], viz. their entropic stabilization.
We will put our results in the broader perspective of other HaP physico-chemical properties and performances of HaP-based device characteristics.
 D.R. Ceratti et al.,“Self-Healing Inside APbBr3 Halide Perovskite Crystals”,Adv. Mat. 1706273, 2018.
 W. Nie et al., “ Light-activated photocurrent degradation and self-healing in perovskite solar cells” Nat. Commun., vol. 7, 2016.
 E.Tenuta et al.,“Thermodynamic origin of instability in hybrid halide perovskites”, Sci.Rep. 6, 37654, 2016.
The constituents of hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite materials have significantly evolved since the first photovoltaic devices made out of the standard methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPI, CH3NH3PbI3) to the latest developments relying on mixed cations, mixed anions perovskite systems and arrangements of 2D-3D layers. Indeed, it appears that mixed-composition perovskites and complex structures including a low-dimensional perovskite layer on top of a bulk three-dimensional perovskite film can perform significantly better than standard systems, via both a better short-circuit current, and a larger open-circuit voltage. These parameters, commonly used to assess the performances of photovoltaic devices, directly relate to more fundamental properties of the material: the bandgap of the absorber, determined by its electronic structure, and the ratio between radiative and non-radiative charge carrier recombination quantum yields, which depends on more complex dynamical phenomena and scattering processes.
Here, we use a combination of ultrafast spectroscopy techniques to scrutinize the carrier dynamics in mixed-cations, mixed-halide lead perovskite thin films. Our results evidence the formation of charge transfer excitons (CTE) astride the boundaries of domains of various halide compositions. A global analysis of photoinduced transient Stark signals shows that CTE evolve gradually from Br-rich to I-rich domains over tens to hundreds of picoseconds. Rather than constituting recombination centers, boundaries between domains of various halide compositions appear then to favor charge carrier separation by driving photogenerated holes along channels of decreasing bromide content.
The ultrafst dynamics of photoinduced Stark signals observed in transient absorption spectra of 2D-3D layered perovskites perpared by use of various long-chain organic cations allowed to evidence charge transfer between domains of different dimensionality taking place in competition with energy transfer. These findings show that vectorial charge separation takes place at the interface, which is at the origin of the improved efficiency of solar cells based on structured materials embodying the low dimensional layer, when compared to pristine 3D perovskite.
The Shockley-Queisser limit for solar cell efficiency of ~ 33% can be overcome if hot carriers can be harvested before they thermalize. Recently, carrier cooling time up to 100 picoseconds was observed in hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites, but it is unclear whether these long-lived hot carriers can migrate long distance for efficient collection. We report direct visualization of hot carrier migration in CH3NH3PbI3 thin films by ultrafast transient absorption microscopy, demonstrating three distinct transport regimes. Quasi-ballistic transport was observed to correlate with excess kinetic energy; resulting in up to 230 nanometers transport distance in 300 fs that could overcome grain boundaries. The nonequilibrium transport persisted over tens of picoseconds and ~ 600 nanometers before reaching the diffusive transport limit. These results suggest potential applications of hot carrier devices based on hybrid perovskites.
Thermodynamic calculations revealed that single junction solar cell conversion efficiencies can exceed the Shockley-Queisser limits and reach around 66% under 1-sun illumination if the excess energy of hot photogenerated carriers is utilized before they cool down to the lattice temperature (i.e., hot-carrier solar cells). Organic–inorganic lead halide perovskite semiconductors have recently emerged as the leading contender in low-cost high-performance solar cells. The key for the realization of hot-carrier (HC) solar cell include the slow hot-carrier cooling and effective extraction of hot-carrier energies which requires fast hot-carrier injection into charge collection layer before hot-carrier cooling down to the lattice temperature. Another related approach that leverages slow HC cooling for efficient energy extraction of HCs is multiple exciton generation (MEG). MEG or carrier multiplication (CM) is a process that generates more than one electron-hole pair from the absorption of one high-energy photon (with at least twice the bandgap energy, Eg), which can boost the photovoltaic efficiencies to ~44%. Perovskite NCs with their novel slow hot-carrier cooling are therefore also highly promising candidates for MEG.
In this talk, firstly I will present our recent observations that the weakly quantum confined MAPbBr3 nanocrystals have up to ~ 2 orders slower hot-carrier cooling times and around 4 times larger hot-carrier temperatures than their bulk-film counterpart. This is attributed to their intrinsic phonon bottleneck and Auger-heating effects at low and high carrier densities, respectively. Importantly, we demonstrate efficient room temperature hot-electrons extraction (up to about 83%) by an energy-selective electron acceptor layer within ~1 ps from surface-treated perovskite nanocrystal very thin films (~30 nm). These new insights would allow the development of extremely thin absorber and concentrator-type hot-carrier perovskite solar cells. In the second part, I will show our most recent works on the efficient MEG (up to ~75% in slope efficiency) with low MEG thresholds (down to ~2.25Eg) in intermediate-confined colloidal FAPbI3 NCs. Efficient MEG occurs via inverse Auger process within 90 fs, afforded by the slow cooling of energetic hot carriers. These insights may lead to the realization of next generation of solar cells and efficient optoelectronic devices.
 Li, M. et al. “Slow cooling and highly efficient extraction of hot carriers in colloidal perovskite nanocrystals” Nat. Commun. 8, 14350 (2017).
 Li, M. et al. “Low threshold and efficient multiple exciton generation in halide perovskite nanocrystals” Nat. Commun. 9, 4197 (2018).
In just a few years, perovskites solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as one of the most promising solar cell technologies. So far, the PCEs of PSCs above 22% have been reported, which is rivalling values achievable with crystalline silicon solar cells. In spite of the fast growth in the photovoltaic performance, PSCs are severely limited in their large scale applications due to instability issues. These include intrinsic instabilities of the metal halide perovskites, environmental instabilities, and device operation related instability.
In this work, the first issue, i.e. intrinsic instability of the metal halide perovskite is studied by combing chemical bonding analysis of DFT electronic structure calculations and experimental degradation study using Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. A comprehensive set of chemical bonding analysis of DFT calculations are done for AMX3 (A=Cs, MA, FA, M=Pb, Sn, X=I, Br, Cl) perovskites. Bond order, net charge, steric repulsion, and Crystal Orbital Hamilton Population (COHP) analysis reveal the relation of covalent, ionic, steric interactions, as well as bonding/antibonding characters with their stability, respectively. As a part of this work, Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy of AMX3 perovskites film degradation during incremental heating were carried out to probe their thermal stability. A systematic comparison of the theoretical analysis and experimental data points to the most important factors responsible for the trends in the thermal stability of AMX3 perovskites.
Interestingly, this sets of chemical bonding analysis also shows promise in explaining the structural instability of metal halide perovskites, i.e. transition of black phase (3D structure) to yellow phase (2D structure). The results provide important insights in strategies for stabilizing metal halide perovskites by tuning their composition.
An issue of critical importance in lead-based halide perovskites, much sought-after class of semiconductors in photovoltaics (PV) research, is defects; “deep” defect levels can prove catastrophic for PV performance by causing non-radiative charge carrier recombination, whereas impurity induced energy levels in the band gap could lead to increased absorption of sub-gap photons which can enhance efficiencies. While experimental detection of defects is non-trivial and identification of the origin of defect states is usually impossible, density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been widely applied to accurately predict defect formation energies and transition levels. In this work, we use DFT to study various intrinsic and extrinsic point defects in mixed bromide/chloride (MAPbBr3-yCly) and iodide/bromide (MAPbI3-yBry) perovskites (MA = methylammonium) with varying compositions (y = 0, 0.75, 1.5, 2.25, 3). We observe that in MAPbI3, MAPbBr3 and all I-Br alloyed perovskites, vacancy defects are the dominant intrinsic defects and create shallow transition levels (i.e., energy levels close to the valence or conduction band edges), while higher energy defects create deeper levels; this is in good agreement with the computational literature[1,4]. The equilibrium Fermi level changes from inside the valence band (very p-type conductivity) to mid-gap (intrinsic conductivity) on going from I/Br-rich to Pb-rich chemical potential conditions. In MAPbBr3-yCly perovskites, it is seen that vacancy defects are again the lowest energy defects and the equilibrium Fermi level follows the same trend as in MAPbBr3, but halogen vacancies (VBr and VCl) create deeper levels in the band gap the higher the value of y, indicating that in mixed Br/Cl or pure Cl perovskites, there is a danger of non-radiative recombination of carriers owing to deep defect levels. In order to study the influence of extrinsic point defects on the optoelectronic properties as determined by dominant intrinsic defects, we further performed high-throughput density functional theory computations to study all elements from periods II to VI of the periodic table as substituents at the Pb-site in MAPbBr3, MAPbBr1.5Cl1.5 and MAPbCl3. Our results revealed that several transition metals like Sc, Y, Zr, Nb and Hf create lower energy substitutional defects than the dominant intrinsic defects in the three perovskites, and shift the equilibrium Fermi level towards the conduction band maximum, thus making the semiconductor conductivity more n-type. These substituents can not only help overcome the adverse effect of deep lying intrinsic defects, but their mid-gap energy provide an opportunity for sub-gap absorption which can potentially realize intermediate band solar cells. Lastly, we performed correlation analysis on the computational data and discovered that the electronic and structural properties obtained from a much cheaper unit cell calculation can be used to reliably predict formation energies and transition levels of substitutional defects in halide perovskites. Such models can lead to accelerated prediction of impurity levels and allow efficient materials design of defect-tolerant perovskites as well as perovskites with suitably placed defect levels.
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The high performance of recently emerged lead halide perovskite-based photovoltaic devices has been attributed to remarkable carrier properties in this kind of material: long carrier diffusion length, long carrier lifetime, and low electron-hole recombination rate. The charge carrier trapping at defects on surfaces or grain boundaries is detrimental for the performance of perovskite solar cells. In practice, it is one of the main limiting factors for carrier lifetime. In my talk, it will discuss about surface defects responsible for carrier trapping based on comprehensive first-principles investigations and it is proposed that PbI2-rich condition is preferred to MAI-rich one, while intermediate condition has possibility to be the best choice . On the other hand, in the continuous quest for better performing materials in photovoltaics and in view of their usage in optoelectronic devices, theoretical studies based on density functional and many-body perturbation theories on the electronic and optical properties of the mixed-valence Cs2Au2I6 fully inorganic double perovskite  and Ruddlesden−Popper organic−inorganic halide perovskites  will be discussed.
 H. Uratani and K. Yamashita, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 8, 742−746 (2017).
The Rashba effect has served as a model for the combined effects of spin-orbit coupling and inversion symmetry breaking in the halide perovskites. Simply interpreted, it is the splitting of spin components of parabolic energy bands, along directions perpendicular to a polar axis. However, the dynamical polar fluctuations of the halide perovskites suggest that they do not conform exactly to this simple model, because of the lack of a singular static polar axis. Computational simulations of the Rashba effect in the halide perovskites have often relied on either time-averaged or highly-selective crystal structures, and truncations of simulation cells, which do not accurately reflect the actual dynamics of halide perovskites.
In this work, we present a new model for spin-orbit effects in halide perovskites, treating the fluctuating crystal lattice as a disordered, spin-coupled medium. This model is described by spin transmission amplitudes and spin-flip amplitudes through this disordered medium. We parameterize our model on large-scale molecular dynamics trajectories, which captures the anharmonic, large-amplitude lattice fluctuations. Electronic structure calculations on these large simulation cells are aided by a tight-binding framework based on first-principles density functional theory calculations. We apply our model to carrier dynamics in halide perovskites, describing carrier mobility, relaxation, recombination, spin transport, and clarifying the role of spin-orbit coupling in these processes. Predictions of the temperature dependence of the carrier dynamics are given by this model, and compared with experimental results. We discuss the extent to which these effects on the optoelectronic properties may be interpreted as local and short-lived Rashba effects.
Flash Infrared Annealing (FIRA) results in pinhole free layers with micrometer size crystalline domains. The fast annealing times, and comparable solar cell efficiency compared to the traditional antisolvent fabricated perovskites make FIRA a highly promising method for the scaleup of perovskite solar cells. In this work we investigate how the Flash Infrared Annealing affects the crystal growth of MAPbI3 and its dependence on the substrates used. We measure the grain size, crystal structure and orientation using Electron Back-Scattered Diffraction (EBSD). We find a highly oriented cubic structure for perovskite annealed by FIRA and a consistent crystal rotation within perovskite grains. Besides, we study how the structural properties of the resulting films affect its photophysics. Combining photoluminescence lifetime and spectral maps we show how the growth method affects the steady-state and dynamic optical properties of the resulting films. Our findings directly relate structural properties to the photophysics of lead halide perovskites.
Organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites have attracted much interest and shown great promise in recent years due to their compatibility with cheap solution processing, ease of fabrication, and enhanced power conversion efficiencies. Currently, perovskite solar cells are transitioning from small area devices to large area devices that are compatible with manufacturing. Blade-coating is a promising deposition technique because it is a low cost, environmentally friendly, and easily translated to roll-to-roll processing. Most current work has focused on fabricating high efficiency perovskite solar cells using the single step-based blade coating. However, the most recent 23.3% record efficiency device was fabricated using the two-step spin-coating method. In this study, we investigate the possibility of fabricating large area perovskite solar cells by sequentially depositing PbI2 and mixed organic iodides consisting of FAI and MABr (where FA is formamidinium, and MA is methylammonium) using the blade coating technique. The blade-coated bi-layer precursor films are annealed under different conditions to examine conversion to the perovskite phases. This study will focus on understanding the formation and growth behaviors of perovskites formed in a two-step blade-coating process when the pre-deposited PbI2 films are reacted with organic iodide solution with various concentrations of mixed FA/MA cations. Comprehensive understating of the nucleation and growth behavior of perovskites during the intercalation process will provide insights to improve control of the film quality and allow device performance for devices beyond the simple MAPbI3 system to be improved.
Hybrid halide perovskites have been attracting extensive interest as next generation photovoltaic technologies. Large bandgap metal halide perovskites such as MAPbBr3 offer a range of applications in multijunction solar cells, electrochemical energy storage, electrocatalysis, and LEDs, as well as providing an interesting platform for comparison with the more commonly studied MAPbI3, and mixed-halide perovskites.
It was shown that substituting Br for I increases the chemical stability making MAPbBr3 much more stable under environmental conditions when compared to MAPbI3. We study this increase in stability under environmental conditions and show that it stems from a change in ion migration properties when going from MAPbI3 to MAPbBr3. Furthermore, we investigate the evolution of this behavior in different MAPbBr3 solar cells as a function of the grain size of the active perovskite film. Grain boundaries change ion migration by providing alternative pathways for the ions to migrate, thereby affecting crucial properties of the process such as activation energy and diffusion coefficient. In our work, we use Transient Ion Drift to quantify the activation energies, diffusion coefficients, and concentrations of the mobile ions, and show the link between grain size, ion migration, and stability.
Pseudo-Halide have started to become a new stream of research because of their capability of not only replacing the scarce options of standard halides in perovskites (Cl, Br and I), but also because of the unique and useful optolectronic properties therein. This work will desribe the versatality of using a organi pseudo halide based salt to fabricate various perovskites and demonstrate their resulting - interesting and unique photo-physical and optoelectronic properties.
The nature of trap defects such as the under-coordinated ions at the perovskite surface and grain boundaries are always trapping the free electrons or holes by the electrostatic force and speeding up the ion migration via the defect vacancy channels, which is significantly limiting the charge extraction efficiency and devices long-term stability in perovskite solar cells. In this work, we induced an interface electric field which supplied by a molecular dipole to the interlayer of electron transfer layer (ETL) and perovskite. We employed Kelvin probe force microscope (KPFM) and Femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) to systematic study the states of charge distribution and transport properties in the perovskite after add the extra interface electric field. The results show a strong gradient electron accumulation at the applied interface and forming a homo-junction perovskite which supplied an extra built-in electric field (Ein), and finally resulting in faster interface charge transportation. Furthermore, the ion migration can efficiently be suppressed at the applied interface and thus reduce the disorder of energy level. Based on these results, we fabricated the PC61BM based n-i-p architecture perovskite solar cell and achieving a PCE of 20.14% with high Voc of 1.14V, which is the record efficiency of PC61BM based n-i-p devices. These devices also show higher stability compared to the standard cells.
Here, first I will present our results on the role of structural and point defects in determining the nature and dynamic of photo-carriers in metal-halide perovskites. Then, I will discuss our understanding of key parameters which must be taken into consideration in order to evaluate the suscettibility of the perovkite crystals (2D and 3D) to the formation of defects, allowing one to proceed through a predictive synthetic procedure. Finally, I will show the correlation between the presence/formation of defects and the observed semiconductor instabilities. Instabilities are manifested as light-induced ion migration and segregation, eventually leading to material degradation under prolonged exposure to light. Understanding, controlling and eventually blocking such material instabilities are fundamental steps towards large scale exploitation of perovskite in optoelectronic devices. By combining photoluminescence measurements under controlled conditions with ab initio simulations we identify photo-instabilities related to competing light-induced formation and annihilation of trap states, disclosing their characteristic length and time scales and the factors responsible for both processes. We show that short range/short time defect annihilation can prevail over defect formation, happening on longer scales, when effectively blocking undercoordinated surface sites, which act as a defect reservoir. By an effective surface passivation strategy we are thus able to stabilize the perovskite layer towards such photo-induced instabilities, leading to improved optoelectronic material quality and enhanced photo-stability in a working solar cell. The proposed strategy represents a simple solution towards longer stability perovskite thin films that could be easily implemented in large scale manufacturing.
The all-inorganic cesium-lead-bromide perovskite (CsPbBr3) has attracted the attention of the photovoltaics community owing to its intrinsic thermal stability and high tolerance to humidity and light-induced effects [1–3]. Nevertheless, the coexistence of additional ternary phases (Cs4PbBr6 and CsPb2Br5) in thin-films and single crystals , and its influence in the optoelectronic properties of the material is still a matter of debate and research . Recent studies have shown that CsPb2Br5 effectively passivates CsPbBr3 and reduces non-radiative recombination, which results in photodetectors and solar cells with outstanding performance [6,7]. Lei et al. reported enhancement of the photoluminescence and power conversion efficiency by controlled PbBr2 excess and high-temperature annealing of solar cells, synthesized by vacuum-thermal coevaporation of the CsPbBr3 absorber , while Luchkin et al. measured a significant current increase in coevaporated CsPbBr3 films after moderate-temperature thermal aging . However, the mechanisms by which the optical and electrical properties are enhanced remain unclear.
In the present contribution, coevaporated CsPbBr3 films with excess PbBr2 on glass and Si substrates were studied. We probed the composition and optical properties of the surface and cross-section of the films by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy, as well as by photoluminescence (PL) microscopy in a correlative analysis approach. The samples were investigated as-deposited and after (post-deposition) annealing at 70°C for 30 min in a N2 atmosphere. The EDX and CL cross-sectional analysis reveals that the temperature treatment increases the thickness of the CsPbBr3 layer in the film on Si substrate, while on the glass substrate the change is negligible. We estimate from absolute PL hyperspectral imaging an external PL quantum yield (PLQY) of 0.04% and quasi-Fermi-level splitting (QFLS) values exceeding 1.8 eV under one-sun equivalent conditions. Regardless of the thicker CsPbBr3 layer, we do not observe significant variations on the PLQY or QFLS after annealing. We discuss the effects of the substrate in the phase transformation and the influence of the phases on the optoelectronic properties of the films.
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Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells show the promises as the next-generation photovoltaic technology. The efficiency has quickly increased from 3.8%  to 23.2% since 2009.  The morphology and crystal quality of perovskite films are the critical factors affecting solar cell efficiency. Here we introduce a new organic ammonium additive (2-NAM), exhibiting strong Lewis acid-base interaction with perovskite.  2-NAM is expected to retard the kinetics for crystal growth instead of generating multiple nucleation points, finally resulting in larger crystal grain sizes. In addition, 2-NAM effectively passivates defect formed by the uncoordinated Pb atom. As result, the number of defects decreases almost three times. After introducing 2-NAM, efficiency increases from the 17.1 ± 0.8% to 18.6 ± 0.9% for 0.1 cm2 cell and 15.5 ± 0.5% to 16.5 ± 0.6% for 1.0 cm2 cell, respectively. Besides the improved efficiency, the stability is enhanced.
Hybrid inorganic-organic perovskite solar cells have attracted much attention because of their superior materials properties, inexpensive fabrication methods, and their rapidly increasing solar conversion efficiency from 3.8 % to more than 22 % within 10 years. To further improve the solar conversion efficiency, all aspects of the device should be comprehensively analyzed at the fundamental level . One problem not completely answered is whether the grain boundaries in halide perovskites are beneficial or detrimental and which atomistic feature makes the grain boundaries have such properties. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation studies claim that grain boundaries do not have gap states [2,3], whereas another study claimed that the lifetime can be reduced based on the molecular dynamics simulations . Our investigation of extended defects in other materials (e.g. CdTe) shows that grain boundaries can be non-stoichiometric depending on the growth conditions [5,6], indicating that grain boundaries in halide perovskites are likely non-stoichiometric due to segregation of intrinsic or extrinsic defects. In this presentation, we aim to discuss the stability and electrical properties of grain boundaries in halide perovskites in comparison to CdTe and provide a clue to passivate grain boundaries in general.
 Ji-Sang Park, Sunghyun Kim, Zijuan Xie, and Aron Walsh, Point defect engineering in thin-film solar cells, Nature Reviews Materials 3, 194–210 (2018).
 W.-J. Yin, H. Chen, T. Shi, S.-H. Wei, and Y. Yan, Origin of High Electronic Quality in Structurally Disordered CH3NH3PbI3 and the Passivation Effect of Cl and O at Grain Boundaries, Adv. Electronic Mater. 1, 1500044 (2015).
 Y. Guo, Q. Wang, and W. A. Saidi, Structural Stabilities and Electronic Properties of High-Angle Grain Boundaries in Perovskite Cesium Lead Halides, J. Phys. Chem. C 121, 1715 (2017).
 R. Long, J. Liu, and O. V. Prezhdo, Unravelling the Effects of Grain Boundary and Chemical Doping on Electron-Hole Recombination in CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite by Time-Domain Atomistic Simulation, Journal of the American Chemical Society 138, 3884 (2016).
 J.-S. Park, J. Kang, J.-H. Yang, W. Metzger, and S.-H. Wei, Stability and electronic structure of the low-Σ grain boundaries in CdTe: a density functional study, New J. Phys. 17, 013027 (2015).
 J.-S. Park, J.-H. Yang, T. Barnes, and S.-H. Wei, Effect of intermixing at CdS/CdTe interface on defect properties, Appl. Phys. Lett. 109, 042105 (2016).
Colloidal inorganic perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) are solution-processable functional materials whose emission can be easily tuned via both size and composition.1 Their exciting optical properties such as the large absorption cross-section and high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) make them ideal candidates for a broad range of photonics and optoelectronics applications.2 In this work, we present an overview of the exceptionally efficient exciton transport mediated by Förster Resonant Energy Transfer (FRET) in perovskite systems of increasing dimensionality. With a specifically designated optical setup, we directly measure the spatial extent of exciton hopping in a controlled two-dimensional assembly of 0D PNCs, which provides a flat energy landscape with minimal geometric disorder.3 Steady-state and time-resolved PL microscopy, together with physical modeling of exciton transport, shows an exciton diffusion length of 200 nm and diffusivity as high as 0.5 cm2/s, which greatly exceed the values reported for FRET-mediated exciton diffusion in chalcogen-based quantum dot solids, and, importantly, matches the optical absorption depth. We further explore the exciton diffusion paradigm in 1D perovskite nanowires and 2D nanosheets, where we image the diffusion across the whole system, with diffusion lengths larger than 1μm. In addition to the exciton diffusion mapping, a significant portion of this work has been dedicated to the optimization of the substrate and the sample passivation. Specifically, we show that with a thermal-based atomic layer deposition process we are able to apply a ~3nm-thick transparent ceramic coating (aluminum oxide) which ensure optical stability over a four month period, thus overcoming the instability issue which often hinders the actual integration of perovskite materials in optoelectronics devices. Our investigation therefore provides the foundation for employing FRET-mediated exciton diffusion in nanostructured perovskites, while also demonstrating practical guidelines to use these bright emitters in optoelectronic devices beyond proof of principle.
 L. Protesescu, S. Yakunin, M. I. Bodnarchuk, F. Krieg, R. Caputo, C. H. Hendon, R. X. Yang, A. Walsh and M. V. Kovalenko, Nano Lett. 15, 6 (2015).
 M. V. Kovalenko, L. Protesescu and M. I. Bodnarchuk, Science, 358, 6364 (2017).
 G. M. Akselrod, P. B. Deotare, N. J. Thompson, J. Lee, W. A. Tisdale, M. A. Baldo, V. M. Menon and V.
Bulović, Nat. Commun. 5, 3646 (2014).
Layered hybrid perovskites halides are under intense investigation for electronic, optoelectronic, dielectric and photovoltaic applications due to advantages in stability, diversity, tunability and solution synthesizability. We reveal, through first-principle calculations how structural disordering and inversion symmetry breaking adapt as functions of composition and topological dimensionality of the octahedral net (controlled by the number of perovskite layers n) in a prototypical series of hybrid Ruddlesden-Popper halides PEA 2PbX4+(n-1)MAPbX3 (PEA= phenylethylammonium, MA = methylammonium, X=Cl, Br and I). We provide mechanistic interpretation of these phenomena as the complex interplay of Pb-X covalent bonding, hydrogen bonding between ammonium head of PEA and apical halides, and van der Waals interactions between the aromatic tails of PEA. Our study provides rational routes for the design and manipulation of these materials towards white-light emission, Rashba-Dresselhaus spin splitting, and ferroelectricity. This work was supported by the Singapore Berkeley Research Initiative for Sustainable Energy(SinBeRISE) Program.
The structural peculiarities in hybrid perovskites (ABX3, where A=organic cation, B=Metal, X=Halide) often lead to a wide range of exciting electronic and optical properties with a consequent effect on the efficiency and stability of the optoelectronic devices based on these materials. The Rashba-Dresselhaus effect is one such consequence that has been prevailed in the hybrid perovskite family. The inherent spin-orbit coupling (SOC) effect in a non-centrosymmetric crystal structure of hybrid perovskite systems has laid the foundation of Rashba-Dresselhaus effect. This Rashba-Dresselhaus splitting directly governs the charge carrier recombination, which eventually controls the carrier lifetime and diffusion length and therefore the solar cell efficiency for such hybrid perovskite materials. In this work, we depict a vivid picture of Rashba-Dresselhaus effect in hybrid perovskites materials and the immediate implications in the field of optoelectronics. Here we have performed a rigorous structural search prediction of the mixed cation-mixed halide hybrid perovskites FA0.83MA0.17Pb(I0.83Br0.17)3 and FA0.875MA0.125Pb(I0.875Br0.125)3 which are the two nearest neighbor structure of record efficiency (22.1%) holder FA0.85MA0.15Pb(I0.85Br0.15)3 in the structural composition phase-space. We have found the prediction routes for such structural search as the mixed perovskite structure govern the Rashba-Dresselhaus splitting energy value, depending on whether it has been predicted from FPI or MPB as parent structure, which is leading to the mixed phase FA0.83MA0.17Pb(I0.83Br0.17)3 and FA0.875MA0.125Pb(I0.875Br0.125)3 respectively. The strong dependency of the splitting energy on the structural phase evolution along with the stoichiometry and space-group is also observed, wherein the mixed phase, 0.045 difference in concentration could lead to a remarkable difference in the splitting energy, which is more pronounced in the valence band as compared to the conduction band. We have also determined the Goldschmidt tolerance factor to envisage structural stability of the newly predicted crystal structure from both the chemical route in the composition phase space.
Solar cells based on Methyl-Ammonium Lead Triiodide (MAPbI3) perovskite have gained attention due to their remarkable progress in performance efficiency during recent years . However, it has been hampered to put the material on the market due to their device stability under exposure to moisture  which is one of the major obstacle toward outdoor application of photovoltaic devices. A comprehensive study on degradation mechanism initiated with water molecules is thus essential for practical realization of MAPbI3 based solar cells. Using first-principles calculation based on the density-functional theory, we here focus on and investigate ion-migration dynamics in a MAPbI3 intercalated with water and their enhancement by the influence of grain boundary (GB). The nudged elastic band (NEB) method is employed to find the barrier potential and corresponding optimal minimum energy path (MEP) of migrated ions. We find that one of H ions of a water molecule segregated into a GB is dissociated, migrated along the GB, and attracted by an N atom in the MAPbI3 with comparatively lower potential barrier (~0.27eV) , following the H-ion release from an ammonium. Such migration of H depends upon the subsequent changes of charge states of surrounding atoms . Additionally, a vacant space around the N atom plays as a cage for the diffused H atom. The water intercalation greatly reduces the barrier potential for an H-ion motion in the GB interior of MAPbI3 which can be liable to initiate the degradation of crystallinity of the perovskite. The iso-surface of electronic charge distribution at HOMO-LUMO and partial density of state (PDOS) of the ruling N atom reveal the mentioned phenomenon. More importantly, the antisymmetric GB structure is prominent for faster molecular attractions due to their weak activation energies.
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 Y.-H. Kye, C.-J. Yu, U.-G. Jong, Y. Chen, and A. Walsh, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 9, 2196 (2018).
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Recently, all-inorganic perovskites CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) nanowires (NW)s have recently demonstrated potential applications in integrated photonics devices such as lasers and photodetectors due to their unique physical and chemical characteristics. Considering the perovskite based integration application, large-scale growth or assembly of perovskite nanowires with horizontal alignment on surfaces is highly desiable. Here, we demonstrate the controlled growth of in-plane directional perovskite CsPbBr3 NWs, induced by graphoepitaxial effect on annealed M-plane sapphire substrates . High-performance photodetectors constructed on these individual NWs exhibit excellent photoresponse with an ultrahigh responsivity of 4400 A/W and fast response speed of 252 μs. Furthermore, we achieved wavelength-tunable CsPbX3 nanowire laser arrays at room temperature with quite low lasing thresholds and high quality factors based on the directional growth approach . Meanwhile, we studied the exciton−photon coupling effect of these perovskite nanowire cavities under the excitation of a pulsed laser, from which highly atomic composition dependent Rabi splitting of ∼210 ± 13, 146 ± 9, and 103 ± 5 meV for the CsPbCl3, CsPbBr3, and CsPbI3 are obtained at room temperature. In addition, by using a novel temperature difference triggers growth strategy, high quality CsPbX3 nanowire arrays with the integration of the merits of the liquid- and gas-phase methods was successfully synthesized, these nanowire arrays show excellent stability and good optoelectronic properties at room temperature . This work presents an important step toward scalable growth of high-quality perovskite NWs, which will provide promising opportunities in constructing integrated nanophotonic and optoelectronic systems.
 M. Shoaib, W. Zheng, A. Pan*, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc, 2017, 139, 15592.
 X. Wang, M. Shoaib, A. Pan*, et al. ACS Nano, 2018, 12, 6170.
Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite solar cell (PSC) has been paid much attention due to its rapid progress of power conversion efficiency exceeding 22%. Many methods for preparing the perovskite films have been proposed, such as one-step deposition, sequential deposition, vapor-assisted deposition, and so on. Among them, the sequential deposition, typically synthesized by the immersion of PbI2 into the MAI solution to form the MAPbI3 perovskite film, shows the promise because of its better control over the surface morphology and crystallization kinetics. However, the incomplete conversion during sequential deposition, resulting in the residue of PbI2 left, becomes the problem and thereby influences the device performance reproducibly. In this regard, we introduce a vacuum treatment to treat the samples at the different stages of the sequential deposition to investigate the level of PbI2 left. The SEM and XRD are used to identify the morphology, the crystallization and the conversion of the perovskite film during the sequential deposition. Our result indicates that the as-prepared PbI2 forms a compact morphology after the vacuum treatment, leading to more amount of PbI2 left within the resulting perovskite film. On the other hand, the vacuum treatment is applied for the PbI2 film right after the MAI immersion, showing a less amount of PbI2 left within the resulting perovskite film. The UV-Vis and EIS are carried out to analyze the optical property and charge transport property, respectively, of perovskite films with different level of PbI2 residue. J-V characteristic of the perovskite solar cells with the different level of PbI2 residue is tested under AM 1.5G illumination. More details of the conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells, affected by vacuum treatment at the different stages of sequential deposition, will be discussed in the presentation.
For photovoltaic devices based on hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites thin films, the cell architecture is a vital parameter in defining the macroscopic performance. To date, there are a handful of studies about the carrier dynamics in perovskite devices with various morphologies. However, the correlation between architecture and carrier dynamics in mixed perovskites thin films has remained elusive. Herein, we have analyzed the influence of chloride substitution on interfacial charge transfer dynamics in perovskite thin films with two different architectures. We compare different mixed MAPbI3 solar cells fabricated under identical conditions that differ only in the TiO2 layer, therefore decouple the composition impact from device performance. Our results clearly demonstrate that the enhancement mechanism of power conversion efficiency is dramatically different in planar and mesoscopic architectures. In planar architecture, Cl substitution leads to faster electron injection rate from perovskite to planar TiO2. In contrast, Cl addition demonstrate no discernable influence on electron injection to mesoporous TiO2, suggesting the retarded interfacial charge recombination give rise to the improved performance. This result could be useful for future photovoltaic and optoelectrical devices based on halide perovskite.
Doping of semiconductors allows tunability of charge carriers and subsequently electronic properties necessary for the development of many technologies. However, controlled doping in lead-halide perovskite semiconductors has proven to be difficult. Lower dimensional perovskites such as nanocrystals, with their high surface area to volume ratio, offer an opportunity for electronic doping via molecular charge transfer. In our work, we explore the tunability of the electronic properties of perovskite nanocrystal films using physically adsorbed molecular dopants. Incorporation of the dopant molecules into CsPbI3 nanocrystal thin films is confirmed via infrared and photoelectron spectroscopies. We discover pre-treated CsPbI3 nanocrystal films to be slightly p-type in behavior. Incorporating an electron-accepting dopant increases conductivity while an electron-donating molecule results in lower conductivity, appearing to compensate the p-type nanocrystal arrays. Time-resolved spectroscopic measurements reveal time scales on the order of Auger-mediated recombination in the presence of excess electrons or holes. Transport measurements demonstrate that both the local and long-range hole mobility is improved by doping of the nanocrystal arrays using an electron-accepting molecule. The improved photo-excited hole mobility in p-type arrays lead to an enhancement in photo-transistors.
Outstanding power conversion efficiency of organo-metal halide perovskite solar cell loses its open-circuit voltage (Voc) and stability in ambient environment. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of instability and Voc loss are urgently needed to resolve the issues. Ionic defects (anion and cation vacancies) in perovskite, especially in mixed cation and halide perovskite, are regarded as the major factor to deteriorate the stability and efficiency. Suppress ionic defects can directly retard both trapped-assist recombination of charge carriers and the diffusion of gas molecules (i.e. moisture, oxygen) in perovskite and therefore improve the Voc and stability of device.
Herein, we report a general strategy of post-treatment using Lewis adduct to passivate ionic vacancies in crystalline perovskite film to improve its device performance and stability. The Lewis adducts of organo ammonium salt were investigated. The systematical characterizations of passivated films reveal the electronic disorder and trapped density are successfully reduced after Lewis adduct post-treatment. A more than 50 mV increase in Voc has been achieved due to the less non-radiative recombination of charge carriers as compared with the device without passivation. In term of device stability, less than 1% power conversion efficiency was observed when the device was irradiated 10 min continuously and the 300-second maximum power point was tracked simultaneously in the ambient. Compared with conventional passivation approaches which are carried out at the crystallization step of perovskite film and are difficult to control, this strategy can directly passivate the ionic defects after the film is crystallized. That gives an avenue to the ultrafast or one-step large-scale coating process to obtain a high-quality perovskite film with ease which has potential to become a commercial viable process.
Ultrafast time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy (TRTS) allows for the direct probing of charge carriers and quasi-particles in semiconductors. The sensitivity of the technique to both the carrier mobility and its density can help elucidate the mechanisms of their temporal evolution. The use of gas photonics provides short, ultra-broadband THz pulses and, thus, offers an improved time-resolution.
Our results are compatible with a hot carrier cooling mechanism implying LO phonon emission. This is subjected to a phonon bottleneck,2 and competes with a dynamic screening process, which time-constant was identified as being due to polaron formation.3 While the screened hot carriers take longer to cool down,4 the dynamic screening process does not produce a change in mobility when only cold carriers are involved.
Measurements applied to perovskite samples of various compositions are compared to elucidate the role of cations and anions in both processes.
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3. Miyata, K. et al. Sci. Adv. 3, e1701217 (2017).
4. Joshi, P. P. et al. Adv. Mater. 1803054 (2019).
In this talk we describe the role of interfaces and surface defects on non-radiative recombination losses in hybrid perovskite semiconductors. Using combinations of microscopy and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy we show that not only are perovskite surfaces sources of significant non-radiative loss, but that chemical passivation of surface states can lead to near-ideal semiconductor properties, achieving over 90% PL internal quantum efficiency and quasi-Fermi level splittings that exceed 96% of the Shockley-Queisser limit under illumination. We next explore the interface between the perovskite and various charge extraction layers, combining experiment and simulation to show that surface recombination at the charge extraction layers is a limitation in current perovskite solar cell architectures.
My talk will focus on the means and developments to analyze and tailor interfaces in halide perovskite (HaP) based semiconductor devices to gain control over the electronic properties at the nanoscale, as interfacial design routes determine the electronic coupling between the perovskite absorber and adjacent charge extraction and transport layers. On the one hand, the device characteristics can be affected by the alignment of the frontier molecular orbitals of an organic charge transport layers (CTL) with the electronic transport level in the perovskite. On the other hand, the doping type of the substrate underneath can template the doping type of subsequently deposited HaP films. In our studies we elucidated these mechanisms by examining a selection of organic, oxide and carbon nanotube charge transport layers adjacent to the perovskite film .
In my talk, I will highlight the use of ultraviolet and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (UPS/XPS) as well as inverse photoemission spectroscopy (IPES) to determine the surface energetics and electronic energy level alignment at the MHP/CTL interface while at the same time tracking the interface chemistry. This approach enables us to explain band offset in the perovskite layer by either chemical interactions or by changes in the electrostatic potential. The results not only suggest guidelines on how to integrate charge extraction layers into perovskite photovoltaic devices but also explain more generally to what extent the electronic structure of the perovskite is subject to extrinsic perturbations .
I will conclude my talk by further demonstrate the impact of surface treatment and interfacial design routes to the achievement of record power conversion efficiencies in HaP-based quantum dot solar cells . Therein, our approach is driven by a targeted ligand exchange chemistry that results in subsequent anion and cation exchange reactions at the quantum dot surface .
Increasing attention has been placed over the past few years on 2D Ruddlesden-Popper phase (RPP) metal halides, perceived as interesting photovoltaic materials in their own right, and also as potentially efficient capping materials to improve the long-term stability of 3D metal halide perovskite solar cells. Energy level alignment at 2D/3D heterojunctions and stability of the 2D materials are therefore of considerable interest. We focus here on the electronic structure, surface potential and response to light irradiation of films of the 2D RPP metal halides, BA2PbI4 (n=1) and BA2CsPb2I7 (n=2). Direct and inverse photoemission spectroscopy coupled with theoretical computation of the DOS are used to determine the materials electron affinity (EA)/ionization energy (IE), equal to 3.1/5.8 eV for BA2PbI4  and 3.3/5.7 eV for BA2CsPb2I7. A full identification of the various contribution to the valence and conduction band DOS is made. We investigate the surface potential of these films via Kelvin probe force microscopy and show reproducible surface photovoltage under supra-band gap light irradiation, corresponding to a reduction of the downward band bending. Long term degradation of the work function is not observed, in contrast to previous observations on 3D perovskite surfaces. Finally, a composition analysis of the n=2 BA2CsPb2I7, using XPS, shows that the surface is not stoichiometric and resembles the composition of RPPs with larger n. We propose that the n>2 phases at the surface create a type I interface with the n=2 phase. This information together with the IE and EA as determined by UPS and IPES, respectively, outline the energy landscape of this material.
In metal halide perovskite-based solar cells, optimization of hole transport materials (HTMs) is important for enhancing solar power conversion efficiency and stability [1,2]. At OIST, a team of researchers in the Energy Materials and Surface Sciences Unit has been making concerted efforts to study 2,2’,7,7’-tetrakis[N,N-di-(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]-9,9’-spirobifluorene (spiro-MeOTAD), which is the most widely used HTM in perovskite solar cells [2-9]. In this talk, we will present our latest understanding of fundamental interactions between Li-bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)-imide (LiTFSI), 4-tert-butylpyridine (t-BP), spiro-MeOTAD and perovskites. Also, we will show how gas exposure (e.g., exposure to O2, H2O, N2) influences electronic energy level alignments and conductivity of such HTM films that is closely associated with performances and stability in perovskite-based solar cells.
 L.K. Ono and Y.B. Qi, Research progress on organic–inorganic halide perovskite materials and solar cells. J. Phys. D. Appl. Phys. 51 (2018) 093001.
 Z. Hawash, L.K. Ono, and Y.B. Qi, Recent Advances in Spiro-MeOTAD Hole Transport Material and Its Applications in Organic-inorganic Halide Perovskite Solar Cells. Adv. Mater. Interfaces 5 (2018) 1700623.
 L.K. Ono, Z. Hawash, E.J. Juarez-Perez, L. Qiu, Y. Jiang, and Y.B. Qi, The influence of secondary solvents on the morphology of a spiro-MeOTAD hole transport layer for lead halide perovskite solar cells. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 51 (2018) 294001.
 E.J. Juarez-Perez, M.R. Leyden, S. Wang, L.K. Ono, Z. Hawash, and Y.B. Qi, Role of the Dopants on the Morphological and Transport Properties of Spiro-MeOTAD Hole Transport Layer. Chem. Mater. 28 (2016) 5702-5709.
 Z. Hawash, L.K. Ono, and Y.B. Qi, Moisture and Oxygen Enhance Conductivity of LiTFSI-Doped Spiro-MeOTAD Hole Transport Layer in Perovskite Solar Cells. Adv. Mater. Interfaces 3 (2016) 1600117.
 Z. Hawash, L.K. Ono, S.R. Raga, M.V. Lee, and Y.B. Qi, Air-Exposure Induced Dopant Redistribution and Energy Level Shifts in Spin-Coated Spiro-MeOTAD Films. Chem. Mater. 27 (2015) 562-569.
 Y. Kato, L.K. Ono, M.V. Lee, S.H. Wang, S.R. Raga, and Y.B. Qi, Silver Iodide Formation in Methyl Ammonium Lead Iodide Perovskite Solar Cells with Silver Top Electrodes. Adv. Mater. Interfaces 2 (2015) 1500195.
 L.K. Ono, P. Schulz, J.J. Endres, G.O. Nikiforov, Y. Kato, A. Kahn, and Y.B. Qi, Air-Exposure-Induced Gas-Molecule Incorporation into Spiro-MeOTAD Films. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 5 (2014) 1374-1379.
Perovskite-based solar cells have been a popular research topic for the better part of the last decade due to their rapidly increasing power conversion efficiencies1 and the ease of their fabrication2. TiO2 is frequently used as an electron transport material (ETM) in perovskite-based solar cells because of its low cost, low toxicity, versatility in sizes and structures, and chemical stability.3-4 Despite the successes of perovskites in solar cells, there are still aspects about their operation that are not fully understood. One example is the role of ligand groups acting as a bridge between the perovskite and ETM. This computational research aims to explore the effects that these ligand groups, which are adsorbed to a polyoxotitanate (TiO2 for brevity) nanocluster, have on the photoexcited charge carrier dynamics within a perovskite-based solar cell. Density functional theory is used to find the ground state properties of the perovskite/TiO2 solar cell, as well as compute the molecular dynamics trajectory, where non-adiabatic electron-phonon couplings are calculated “on-the-fly.” These couplings are then used to calculate the Redfield tensor which is ultimately used to compute the photoexcited charge carrier dynamics. It is found that the ligand groups have can alter the band gap, band alignment, charge transfer characteristics, accessible excitation pathways, and excited charge carrier lifetimes.
1. Nie, W. Y.; Tsai, H. H.; Asadpour, R.; Blancon, J. C.; Neukirch, A. J.; Gupta, G.; Crochet, J. J.; Chhowalla, M.; Tretiak, S.; Alam, M. A.; Wang, H. L.; Mohite, A. D., High-efficiency solution-processed perovskite solar cells with millimeter-scale grains. Science 2015, 347 (6221), 522-525.
2. Loi, M. A.; Hummelen, J. C., HYBRID SOLAR CELLS Perovskites under the Sun. Nat. Mater. 2013, 12 (12), 1087-1089.
3. Bao, J. H.; Gundlach, L.; Yu, Z. H.; Benedict, J. B.; Snoeberger, R. C.; Batista, V. S.; Coppens, P.; Piotrowiak, P., Hot Hole Hopping in a Polyoxotitanate Cluster Terminated with Catechol Electron Donors. J. Phys. Chem. C 2016, 120 (36), 20006-20015.
4. Negre, C. F. A.; Young, K. J.; Oviedo, M. B.; Allen, L. J.; Sanchez, C. G.; Jarzembska, K. N.; Benedict, J. B.; Crabtree, R. H.; Coppens, P.; Brudvig, G. W.; Batista, V. S., Photoelectrochemical Hole Injection Revealed in Polyoxotitanate Nanocrystals Functionalized with Organic Adsorbates. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136 (46), 16420-16429.
Highly stable halide perovskite solar cells employ semiconductor oxides as electron transport materials. Defects in these oxides, such as oxygen vacancies (Ovac), act as recombination centres and, under air and UV light, reduce the stability of the solar cell. Under the same conditions, the PbZrTiO3 ferroelectric oxide employs Ovac for the creation of defect-dipoles responsible for photo-carrier separation and current transport, evading device degradation. We report the application of PbZrTiO3 as the electron extraction material in triple cation halide perovskite solar cells. The application of a bias voltage (poling) up to 2 V, under UV light, is a critical step to induce charge transport in the ferroelectric oxide. Champion cells result in power conversion efficiencies of ~ 11 % after poling. Stability analysis, carried out at 1-sun AM 1.5 G, including UV light in air for unencapsulated devices, shows negligible degradation for hours in comparison with reference solar cells applying SnO2 which degrades in only a few minutes. Our experiments indicate the effect of ferroelectricity from the PZT, however alternative conducting mechanisms affected by the accumulation of charges or the migration of ions (or the combination of them) can also be present. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, the application of a ferroelectric oxide as an electron extraction material in efficient and stable PSCs. These findings are also a step forward the development of next generation ferroelectric oxide-based electronic and optoelectronic devices.
1. Pérez-Tomas, A.; Xia, H.; Wang, Z.; Kim, H.-S.; Shirley, I.; Turren-Cruz, S.-H.; Morales-Melgares, A.; Saliba, B.; Tanenbaum, D.; Saliba, M.; Zakeeruddin, S. M.; Gratzel, M.; Hagfeldt, A.; Lira-Cantu, M., PbZrTiO3 Ferroelectric Oxide as electron extraction material in Halide Perovskite Solar Cells. Sustainable Energy & Fuels 2018, Accepted.
2. Reyna, Y.; Perez-Tomas, A.; Mingorance, A.; Lira-Cantu, M., Stability of Molecular Devices: Halide Perovskite Solar Cells. In Molecular Devices for Solar Energy Conversion and Storage, Tian, H.; Boschloo, G.; Hagfeldt, A., Eds. Springer-Verlag Berlin: Berlin, 2018; pp 477-531.
3. Pérez-Tomás, A.; Lima, A.; Billon, Q.; Shirley, I.; Catalan, G.; Lira-Cantú, M., The Solaristor concept. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solaristor. Wikipedia 2018.
4. Mingorance, A.; Xie, H.; Kim, H.-S.; Wang, Z.; Balsells, M.; Morales-Melgares, A.; Domingo, N.; Kazuteru, N.; Tress, W.; Fraxedas, J.; Vlachopoulos, N.; Hagfeldt, A.; Lira-Cantu, M., Interfacial Engineering of Metal Oxides for Highly Stable Halide Perovskite Solar Cells. Advanced Materials Interfaces 2018, 0 (0), 1800367.
5. Hagfeldt, A.; Lira-Cantu, M., Recent concepts and future opportunities for oxides in solar cells. Applied Surface Science 2018, In Press.
6. Perez-Tomas, A.; Mingorance, A.; Reyna, Y.; Lira-Cantu, M., Metal Oxides in Photovoltaics: All-Oxide, Ferroic, and Perovskite Solar Cells. In The Future of Semiconductor Oxides in Next Generation Solar Cells, 1st ed.; Lira-Cantu, M., Ed. Elsevier Singapur: 2017; p 566.
7. Lira-Cantú, M., Perovskite solar cells: Stability lies at interfaces. Nature Energy 2017, 2 (7), 17115.
8. Lira-Cantu, M., The future of semiconductor oxides in next generation solar cells. 1st ed.; Elsevier Singapur: 2017; p 566.
Understanding the energy transfer mechanism across hybrid interfaces which combine both inorganic and organic semiconductors is crucial in the advancement of optoelectronic devices. The exact transfer mechanism between inorganic and organic materials remains obscure, particularly where there is a large amount of structural inhomogeneity within the material.
Combining scanning probe microscopies with ensemble time-resolved optical spectroscopy, we investigate the underlying mechanism of energy transfer at hybrid interfaces comprised of lead halide perovskites and organic semiconductors. By understanding interplay between the morphology and the band alignment arising from the perovskite composition, as well as the mechanism of the energy transfer at the hybrid interface, we can tailor our active materials to increase device performance by optimizing this energy transfer process.
Surface and interface passivation are of central importance for high efficiency perovskite devices. Despite the enormous efforts that have been undertaken in the last years to improve the power conversion efficiency of the devices, the surface properties are still not very well understood. Moreover, the polycrystallinity of the material leads to lateral fluctuations of the surface properties on the nanometer scale, which makes the analysis difficult and challenging. Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques are ideal to gain a much deeper understanding of the surfaces and interfaces due to their high spatial resolution.
In this contribution, we present our results obtained on hybrid perovskites studied with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) combined with Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM). All our studies have been carried out under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions on clean absorbers that have not been exposed to air.
In a first part, we show why ultra-high vacuum is indispensable for an accurate analysis of the nanometer scale properties. We compare KPFM measurements before and after air exposure in our UHV KPFM setup and compare the results to measurements under ambient conditions. In particular, we discuss the changes of the facet-dependent contrast of the grains, which is smeared out and reduced after air exposure, and we discuss the observed changes of the work function at the grain boundaries. Furthermore, we compare our results to the available literature.
In the second part, we discuss in detail the nanometer scale variations of coevaporated methylammonium lead iodide absorbers with minority carrier lifetimes exceeding one microsecond.In particular, we investigate the lateral variations of the workfunction on these absorbers layers and discuss the implications for the resulting solar cell devices. We will link our results from SPM to the specific growth conditions we used during synthesis.
Finally, we compare the results to another thin film technology, namely Cu(In,Ga)Se2. This comparison is essential to understand why hybrid organic inorganic perovskites outperform Cu(In,Ga)Se2 in terms of minority carrier lifetime and exceptionally high open-circuit voltages. In this part we use STS measurements to compare the local density of states of the perovskite and of the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 surfaces. It becomes evident from our measurements that the defect density at the surface is much lower for the perovskites, which underlines why these semiconductors perform so exceptionally well as absorber layers in solar cells.
CsPbI3, a promising candidate for photovoltaic and light-emitting diode applications, is structurally unstable and transforms into an orthorhombic phase at room temperature. CsPbI3 in nanocrystal form, on the other hand, has displayed better thermal stability than in the bulk, and the stability depends on the size of the nanocrystal. Yet, not many studies have shed light on the underlying mechanisms.
Using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate phase stability changes as a function of varying crystal size, which result from the competition between short-range bond formation and long-range electrostatic energies. Comparing these simulations with experiment, we show that this mechanism is analogous to the application of negative pressure, explaining the correlation between high-symmetry phase stability and nanostructuring.
These results suggest that bulk phase CsPbI3 can be stabilized in a negative pressure environment with the application of hydrostatic tensile strain. Using density functional theory, we explore negative pressure induced phase transitions, and their consequent optoelectronic properties.
Defects and Halide Perovskites—What Does This Combination Tell Us?
Halide Perovskites have a remarkably low defect density, especially if we consider the quick and “chimie douce” way of preparation of films as well as of most single crystals. The densities are all deduced from the common (all indirect) measurements for charge or neutral defects. In this talk I will show how this behaviour reflects a quite fundamental property of these materials, with a rather simple basis. The talk will combine experimental results from several sources, including our own, for thermodynamic, optical, and electrical data. It is plausible that our conclusions can be generalized to help look for other ultra-low defect density materials.
Under solar irradiation, most photons absorbed in methyl ammonium lead iodide perovskite (MAPbI3) possess ~0.4 eV of excess energy above the 1.65 eV band gap (BG), and characterizing the important stages of free carrier generation and relaxation dynamics requires ultrafast spectroscopic investigation. Carrier cooling and recombination in hybrid perovskites occurs in ps and ns timescales respectively. Probing exciton dissociation however requires extreme (sub-10 fs) time resolution. The significance of optic phonon coupling to free carriers in these materials (polarons) has recently been the subject of lively debate. To date only a few time domain measurements have reported impulsive phonon activity, and those reports have not converged in terms of the active phonon frequencies or coupling strengths. Here, we present high S/N sub-10 fs pump-probe spectroscopy of MAPbI3 films to record ultrafast exciton dissociation, which has not been reported previously.
High above band gap excitation in MAPbI3 provides an opportunity to observe free carrier generation followed by cooling dynamics. Transient transmission (TT) spectra of MAPbI3 films after photoexcitation reveal a number of features which are common to previous pump-probe studies of this system. First, a photoinduced bleach at the optical BG which appears instantly and grows to its full magnitude during carrier cooling, is attributed to hot carrier induced screening of the exciton transition and state filling. Another is an absorption feature rising below the band edge assigned to band gap renormalization and shifting of exciton transition. This feature also appears immediately after excitation, but decays over the carrier cooling stage. The third is a slow rising broad induced absorption feature in the inter-band region. Using the extreme time resolution here, a sharp red shift of exciton transition is observed at early trimes. Surprisingly, the photoinduced band bleach derived by extracting a band integral over the whole probing range, appears abruptly with a delay of 20 fs after the pump excitation. This delay in rising of band integral bleach is assigned to exciton dissociation or the breakup of localized e-h pair. To the best of our knowledge this is the first recording of this phase of free carrier formation following above BG photoexcitation in this material, or in bulk semiconductors. Observing this phase hinges on the ultrashort pump pulses ability to generate such localized carrier pairs even high above the BG due to coherent excitation of a broad band of “k” states. Finally, the delayed ~0.4 ps rise of the band integral is compatible with carrier cooling.
The pump-probe spectra also reveal weak periodic modulations. The residual modulations at different probe wavelengths were extracted by subtracting the transient signal. The Fourier analysis of the residual modulation detects predominantly two of active phonon modes: low frequency mode ~110 cm-1 assigned to the Pb-I stretching and high frequency mode ~240 cm-1 assigned to the torsions of methylammonium cation (Fig. 2d). The amplitudes of these spectral modulations were used to estimate the electron-phonon coupling strength, assuming a displaced harmonic oscillator model. The estimated coupling strengths (Huang-Rhys parameter, S: 0.02-0.04) for the MAPbI3 films are well within the weak coupling regime, which is compatible with free carriers existing as large polarons in these materials. These observed phonon modes may not be responsible for perovskite’s moderate carrier mobility, which requires intermediate electron-phonon coupling.
In conclusion, sub 10fs above band gap pump-probe data resuggest that, instantly generated localized hot excitons dissociate to free carriers within ~20 fs. Faint spectral modulations in the transient signals are assigned to coherent phonons. These modulations are assigned to longitudinal optical (LO) phonons weakly coupled to the electronic transition.
Hybrid organic-inorganic semiconductors feature complex lattice dynamics due to the "softness" arising from non-covalent bonds between molecular moieties and the inorganic network, and due to the ionic character of the crystal. Such complex lattice motion has profound consequences on the fundamental character of primary photoexcitations with respect to purely covalent semiconductor crystals. In this work, we establish that this dynamic structural complexity gives rise to the coexistence of diverse excitonic resonances in a prototypical two-dimensional lead iodide perovskite, each with a distinct degree of polaronic character. By means of high-resolution resonant impulsive stimulated Raman spectroscopy, we address the coupling of both charge carriers and excitons to low-frequency optical phonons (those with frequency ≤ 50 cm−1). Resonant photoexcitation results in vibrational wavepacket dynamics that evolve along different configurational coordinates for distinct excitons and photocarriers. Employing density functional theory calculations, we assign the observed coherent vibrational modes to various phonons involving motion in the lead-iodide layers. We thus conclude that different excitons induce specific lattice reorganizations that are distinct from those involving charge carriers, which are signatures of polaronic binding. Our conclusions provide a novel perspective of the energetic/configurational landscape involving globally neutral primary photoexcitations in a broad class of emerging hybrid semiconductor materials.
Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites such as methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) are solution-processable semiconductors for high-efficiency solar cells and light-emitting devices owing to their long carrier lifetime and diffusion length. Determining whether the polar organic cations with strong dynamic disorder benefit the optoelectronic properties of CH3NH3PbI3 has been challenging. Herein, via transient absorption measurements employing an infrared pump tuned to a methylammonium N-H stretching vibration, we observe vibrational energy transfer from the selectively excited organic mode to the entire crystal lattice in nanosecond timescale. The observed transient electronic signatures, during the period of thermal-nonequilibrium when the induced thermal motions are mostly concentrated on the organic sublattice, reveal that the induced motions of the organic cations do not apparently alter absorption or photoluminescence response of CH3NH3PbI3, beyond thermal effects. Our results suggest that the attractive optoelectronic properties of CH3NH3PbI3 mainly derive from the inorganic lead-halide framework.
CsPbBr3 is a promising type of light‐emitting halide perovskite with inorganic composition and desirable thermal stability. The luminescence efficiency of pristine CsPbBr3 thin films, however, appears to be limited. In this work, light emitting diodes based on CsPbBr3|Cs4PbBr6 composites are demonstrated. Both quantum efficiency and emission brightness are improved significantly compared with similar devices constructed using pure CsPbBr3. The high brightness can be attributed to the enhanced radiative recombination from CsPbBr3 crystallites confined in the Cs4PbBr6 host matrix. The unfavorable charge transport property of Cs4PbBr6 can be circumvented by optimizing the ratio between the host and the guest components and the total thickness of the composite thin films. The inorganic composition of the emitting layer also leads to improved device stability under the condition of continuous operation.
Layered 2D halide perovskites, with their alternating organic and inorganic atomic layers that form self-assembled multi-quantum wells (MQW), have been shown to possess robust light-matter coupling, owing to quantum and dielectric confinement effect. Within their periodic structures lie a hotbed of robust photophysical phenomena, rising from the coherent four-way interplays between exciton, spin, phonon, and photon. Herein, we explicate these intricate dynamics via transient absorption spectroscopy. Few to be highlighted here are: (i) the robust tunable spin-selective optical Stark effect, which are few times stronger than in conventional inorganic semiconductors; (ii) ultrafast carrier thermalization and spin relaxation via exchange interaction; and (iii) strong coherent exciton-photon coupling. Origin of transient spectral features and exciton relaxation pathways are also revealed from detailed phenomenological modelling of the transient dynamics. Importantly, our work unravels the understanding of complex optical spin and quasi-particle interactions in these layered 2D halide perovskites, which are the key to exploit their full potential.
The extended carrier lifetime in hybrid halide perovskites was attributed to a quasi-indirect band gap that arises due to Rashba splitting in both conduction and valence band edges. We will present results for an effective relativistic band structure of (CH3NH3)PbI3with focus on the dispersion of electronic states near the band edges of (CH3NH3)PbI3affected by thermal structural fluctuations . We establish a relation between the magnitude of Rashba splitting and the deviation of Pb-atom from its centrosymmetric site in the PbI6octahedron. In order for the splitting energy to reach the thermal energy of 26 meV (room temperature), the displacement should be of the order 0.3 Ang, which is far above the static displacements of 0.1 Ang for Pb-atoms in the tetragonal phase of (CH3NH3)PbI3.
The significant dynamic enhancement of the Rashba splitting observed at earlier simulation times (less than 2 ps) later weakens and becomes less than the thermal energy despite the average displacement of Pb-atoms remaining large (0.37 Ang). It is randomization of Pb-displacement vectors and associated cancelation of the net effective magnetic field acting on electrons at the conduction band edge is responsible for reduction of the Rashba splitting.
The lattice dynamics also leads to deterioration of Bloch character  for states in the valence band, which leads to subsequent localization of holes. A bipolar mobility of charge carriers in (CH3NH3)PbI3is therefore affected. These results call into question the quasi-indirect band gap as a reason for the long carrier lifetime observed in (CH3NH3)PbI3at room temperature. An alternative mechanism involves dynamic localization of holes and their reduced overlap with electrons in reciprocal space.
 C. Zheng, S. Yu, and O. Rubel, ArXiv:1810.00275 [Cond-Mat.Mtrl-Sci] (2018).
 O. Rubel, A. Bokhanchuk, S. J. Ahmed, and E. Assmann, Phys. Rev. B 90, 115202 (2014).
In recent years, there have been extensive studies made on optical and electronic properties of lead halide perovskite semiconductors, MAPbX3 (MA = CH3NH3, X = I, Br, and Cl) from the fundamental physics viewpoint and from the interest in the application to functional photonic devices . These direct-gap semiconductors exhibit sharp absorption spectra with very small Urbach energies, strong light emission with no essential Stokes shift, and long carrier diffusion lengths, leading to high energy conversion efficiencies of solar cells. Besides solar cell applications, MAPbX3 perovskites are considered as materials for light-emitting diodes, lasers, optical modulators, and nonlinear optical crystals [2-4]. Especially, it is very important to elucidate their nonlinear optical response for future device applications. Among them, a wide-gap semiconductor MAPbCl3, has attracted attention as a photonic device material in the blue spectral region .
In this work, we clarify the nonlinear refractive index and nonlinear absorption coefficient of MAPbCl3 single crystals and their wavelength dependence. The thin film sample of MAPbCl3 has a grain structure and strong light scattering occurs in the blue spectral region, being an obstacle for measuring their essential optical characteristics. In order to eliminate the influence of light scattering, a large bulk single crystal was used. Third-order nonlinear optical coefficients were determined by the Z-scan method. We determined the nonlinear refractive index from the close aperture measurement and the nonlinear absorption coefficient from the open aperture measurement at various excitation wavelengths. Nonlinear optical responses can be explained by a simple two band model. Our measurements clearly shows that MAPbCl3 perovskites are simple direct-gap semiconductors and the nonlinear optical coefficients are comparable to GaAs single crystals .
 Y. Kanemitsu and T. Handa, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 57, 090101 (2018).
 T. Yamada et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 057404 (2018).
 M. Nagai et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 145506 (2018).
 H. Tahara et al., Adv. Optical Mater. 6, 1701366 (2018).
 R. W. Boyd, Nonlinear Optics (Academic, 2003).
Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite semiconductors are collecting much attention as a new class of optical device materials. In particular, CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) shows highly efficient photoluminescence (PL) with no Stoke shift even at room temperature due to the band-to-band transition. Many unique optical phenomena based on efficient PL with no Stokes shift, such as photon recycling and radiative cooling, have been discussed [1,2]. Photon recycling is caused by the repeated light emission and reabsorption processes. The laser cooling of semiconductors is induced by anti-Stokes PL (AS-PL) via phonon absorption. One important factor for these phenomena in semiconductors is a high external quantum efficiency (EQE). However, laser cooling has not been achieved even for GaAs/GaInP quantum well with EQE of 99.5% . Therefore, it is important to clarify the material properties and experimental conditions required for laser cooling. Specifically, it is necessary to clarify the physics of AS-PL and its reabsorption in the perovskites by employing both optically thin and thick samples.
In this study, we prepared optically thin film and thick single crystal of MAPbI3, and investigated their AS-PL characteristics . Using PL excitation (PLE) spectroscopy, we determined the excitation-energy dependence of the AS-PL and the Stokes PL (S-PL) by dividing the PL spectrum into anti-Stokes and Stokes parts. We obtained the up-conversion gain spectrum defined as the intensity difference between the AS-PLE and S-PLE spectra. The gain spectra showed a broad spectral shape and its maximum point was located below the balanced point where the anti-Stokes PLE and Stokes PLE intensities become equal. The broad shape of the up-conversion gain spectrum suggests that unique phonon dynamics, such as large anharmonicity and polaron formation, play an important role of efficient up-conversion process in the perovskites.
Part of this work was supported by JST-CREST (JPMJCR16N3) and JSPS Research Fellowships for Young Scientists (17J07890).
 Y. Yamada et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 137, 10456–10459 (2015).
 S.-T. Ha et al., Nat. Photonics 10, 115-121 (2016).
 D. A. Bender et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 252102 (2013).
 T. Yamada et al., submitted for publication.
One of the many interesting optical properties of semiconducting nanocrystals is their ability to perform luminescence up-conversion via a one photon route. In this, a carrier is excited by an incident photon with energy less than the material band gap. The excited carrier subsequently absorbs energy from multiple phonons before emitting the combined thermal and optical energy as a single, higher energy photon. If a system demonstrates one photon up-conversion with enough efficiency, thermal energy may be emitted as up-converted photons faster than it is replaced through thermalization losses. In this regime, the material demonstrates optically driven cooling. As one photon up-conversion is apparently ubiquitous in semiconducting nanocrystals, it is believed that mid-gap surface trap states may play a role in the excitation mechanism. Interestingly, however, this phenomenon has recently been demonstrated in CsPbBr3 nanocrystals with an external quantum efficiency greater than 70%. This high efficiency seems at odds with previous studies, as perovskite nanocrystals are known to generally lack mid-gap states.

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