Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Kristel M. Forlano, Chris R. Roy, Willa Mihalyi-Koch, Tareq Hossain, Kyana Sanders, Ilia Guzei, Kenneth R. Graham, John C. Wright, Song Jin
Summary: 2D Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) lead halide perovskites have highly tunable structures, compositions, and properties, with the synthesis and optical properties study of (PEA)(2)Csn-1PbnBr3n+1 (n = 1-6) perovskites reported, showing potential for rational heterostructure device design in the future.
ACS MATERIALS LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lidia Romani, Andrea Speltini, Francesco Ambrosio, Edoardo Mosconi, Antonella Profumo, Marcello Marelli, Serena Margadonna, Antonella Milella, Francesco Fracassi, Andrea Listorti, Filippo De Angelis, Lorenzo Malavasi
Summary: This study presents a water-stable metal halide perovskite and demonstrates its application in promoting photocatalysis in aqueous medium, leading to impressive hydrogen evolution rate. The composite with g-C3N4 shows synergistic activity and efficient photocatalytic performance in water, paving the way for a new class of light-driven catalysts.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mailde S. Ozorio, Malladi Srikanth, Rafael Besse, Juarez L. F. Da Silva
Summary: This study investigates the role of different A-cations in the physical chemistry properties of ASnI(3) perovskites, finding that the orthorhombic structure is the most stable phase. Dipole-dipole interactions play a key role in driving structures to the lowest energy configurations, and the inorganic framework dominates the optical properties and band structure.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2021)
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Mehri Ghasemi, Mengmeng Hao, Mu Xiao, Peng Chen, Dongxu He, Yurou Zhang, Weijian Chen, Jiandong Fan, Jung H. Yun, Baohua Jia, Xiaoming Wen
Summary: Lead halide perovskites have shown promising optoelectronic properties in various applications, but the toxicity of lead and instability of compounds are major obstacles. Metal-halide double perovskites, being non-toxic and stable, are emerging as potential alternatives. Their tunable optoelectronic properties and rich combinatorial chemistry make them highly suitable for a wide range of optoelectronic/electronic applications.
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Mehri Ghasemi, Mengmeng Hao, Mu Xiao, Peng Chen, Dongxu He, Yurou Zhang, Weijian Chen, Jiandong Fan, Jung H. Yun, Baohua Jia, Xiaoming Wen
Summary: Metal-halide double perovskites (MHDPs) have emerged as promising alternatives to lead-based halide perovskites, offering non-toxicity and significantly enhanced stability, along with tunable optoelectronic properties for a wide range of applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nikita I. Selivanov, Anna Yu. Samsonova, Ruslan Kevorkyants, Irina V. Krauklis, Yuri V. Chizhov, Boris V. Stroganov, Marios E. Triantafyllou-Rundell, Detlef W. Bahnemann, Constantinos C. Stoumpos, Alexei V. Emeline, Yury V. Kapitonov
Summary: The study introduces a new family of hybrid organic-inorganic 2D lead halides, reporting the first example of the hybrid organic-inorganic post-perovskite 3-cyanopyridinium lead tribromide (3cp)PbBr3. The new material exhibits unique structural connectivity and optical properties that show significant anisotropy within the inorganic layer plane.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xia Cai, Yan Li, Jianfei Liu, Hao Zhang, Jianguo Pan, Yiqiang Zhan
Summary: This study utilizes ensemble machine learning to search for non-toxic and high-performance all-inorganic lead-free perovskites for use in solving the challenges of efficiency, stability, and toxicity in perovskite solar cells. Through the establishment of structure identification and band gap classification models, as well as the proposal of a physics-inspired multi-component neural network, suitable candidates are screened. Based on first principles calculations, 17 candidates with theoretical power conversion efficiencies over 20% are identified.
MATERIALS HORIZONS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Yuhan Zhou, Dongdong Yan, Han Zhang, Yi Jing, Linfeng Chao, Mingguang Li, Meicheng Li, Yonghua Chen, Runfeng Chen, Ligang Xu
Summary: A new stable intermediate phase adduct (SnI2•DMSO•MAFa) is introduced to fabricate high-quality FA(0.75)MA(0.25)SnI(3) films, resulting in higher power conversion efficiency and improved stability of tin perovskite solar cells.
ACS MATERIALS LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Lin-jie Yang, Wenye Xuan, David Webster, Lethy Krishnan Jagadamma, Teng Li, David N. Miller, David B. Cordes, Alexandra M. Z. Slawin, Graham A. Turnbull, Ifor D. W. Samuel, Hsin-Yi Tiffany Chen, Philip Lightfoot, Matthew S. Dyer, Julia L. Payne
Summary: One of the advantages of organic-inorganic metal halides is their highly tuneable structures and properties, which are important for optimizing materials for photovoltaics and optoelectronic devices. In this study, bromine was included in a layered perovskite to induce a decrease in band gap and a structural transition. The inclusion of bromine also resulted in the formation of a new band in the electronic structure and a significant increase in mobility and/or carrier concentration. This work highlights the potential of molecular inclusion as a tool to tune the electronic properties of layered organic-inorganic perovskites.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yuan Yin, Yu Wang, Qingde Sun, Ying Yang, Yifei Wang, Zhiyong Yang, Wan-Jian Yin
Summary: Cs3Cu2I5, a lead-free copper-based halide perovskite, exhibits blue emission with high PLQY. The high-efficiency PLQY of Cs3Cu2I5 is attributed to its low symmetry, large transition matrix, high transition rate, and good defect tolerance.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Saeed S. I. Almishal, Ola Rashwan
Summary: This study investigated the structural, electronic, and optical properties of the CsGeI3-xBrx halide perovskite system and compared them to the extensively studied CsPbI3. The substitution of Pb2+ with Ge2+ led to structural distortion and changes in the bandgap, while the mixed halide compounds significantly altered the optical properties.
MATERIALS SCIENCE IN SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Manish Kumar, Arunima Singh, Deepika Gill, Saswata Bhattacharya
Summary: Chalcogenide perovskites, as lead-free and stable photovoltaic materials with promising optoelectronic properties, have been studied for their excitonic properties using advanced theoretical methods. The exciton binding energy is found to be larger than conventional halide perovskites, with a more stable charge separated polaronic state observed. These materials show potential as environmentally friendly perovskites for photovoltaics, with a good estimated spectroscopic limited maximum efficiency based on their direct band gap and absorption coefficient.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ming Chen, Xiaofeng Dong, Zhicheng Shan, Zhuo Xu, Shengzhong Frank Liu
Summary: In this study, a lead-free 2D perovskite material, BDA(2)CuBiI(8), was proposed by substituting two Pb2+ ions with Cu+ and Bi3+ ions. First-principles calculations demonstrated the stability and suitable band gap of the material for solar cells. The results suggest that this new material provides a new approach for designing efficient lead-free perovskites for solar cells.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Weijian Tao, Yao Zhang, Haiming Zhu
Summary: The past few years have seen a resurgence in research interest in two-dimensional lead halide perovskites, characterized by strong excitonic and polaronic effects. The interplay between these effects remains largely unexplored, but has implications for the future design of efficient photovoltaics or light-emitting devices.
ACCOUNTS OF CHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sushant Ghimire, Chris Rehhagen, Saskia Fiedler, Urvi Parekh, Rostyslav Lesyuk, Stefan Lochbrunner, Christian Klinke
Summary: Non-toxic and stable, sub-micron size colloidal quasi-2D Cs3Bi2I9 perovskite nanosheets were synthesized and their charge carrier generation and relaxation were studied. Indirect bandgap of 2.07 eV was observed, and no detectable photoluminescence at room temperature was found, but cathodoluminescence in a broad range from 500 nm to 750 nm was observed, indicating phonon- and trap-assisted recombination of charge carriers. Ultrafast charge carrier dynamics were studied using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, revealing hot carrier generation, thermalization with local phonons, and cooling processes, as well as the formation of stable polarons and their nonradiative decay by releasing phonons.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Vincent J-Y Lim, Aleksander M. Ulatowski, Christina Kamaraki, Matthew T. Klug, Laura Miranda Perez, Michael B. Johnston, Laura M. Herz
Summary: Mixed lead-tin halide perovskites are suitable for the bottom subcell of all-perovskite tandem photovoltaic devices due to the bandgap-bowing effect. However, these materials degrade in ambient air, which negatively impacts their optoelectronic properties. This study unravels the degradation mechanisms of APb(x)Sn(1-x)I(3) perovskites and highlights the need for passivation strategies tailored specifically to mixed lead-tin iodide perovskites.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Henrik Gotfredsen, Jie-Ren Deng, Jeff M. Van Raden, Marcello Righetto, Janko Hergenhahn, Michael Clarke, Abigail Bellamy-Carter, Jack Hart, James O'Shea, Timothy D. W. Claridge, Fernanda Duarte, Alex Saywell, Laura M. Herz, Harry L. Anderson
Summary: Researchers have successfully bent linear photonic wires into ring structures using oligo-pyridyl templates, creating nanorings with 24 porphyrin units and a single butadiyne link. This system exhibits two distinct excited state energy transfer processes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yi-Teng Huang, Sean R. Kavanagh, Marcello Righetto, Marin Rusu, Igal Levine, Thomas Unold, Szymon J. Zelewski, Alexander J. Sneyd, Kaiwen Zhang, Linjie Dai, Andrew J. Britton, Junzhi Ye, Jaakko Julin, Mari Napari, Zhilong Zhang, James Xiao, Mikko Laitinen, Laura Torrente-Murciano, Samuel D. Stranks, Akshay Rao, Laura M. Herz, David O. Scanlon, Aron Walsh, Robert L. Z. Hoye
Summary: Ternary chalcogenides such as NaBiS2 are promising materials for solar energy applications. This study reveals the importance of cation disorder in achieving high absorption strength and unusual charge-carrier kinetics in NaBiS2 nanocrystals.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Yuanyuan Zhou, Laura M. Herz, Alex K-Y Jen, Michael Saliba
Summary: The emergence of perovskite photovoltaic technology has greatly advanced our understanding of metal halide perovskite thin-film microstructures and their effects on optoelectronic properties, device efficiency, and stability. This article discusses the morphological characteristics of three key microstructure types in perovskites, explores their impacts on performance and degradation, and calls for more research on hidden microstructures and high-spatiotemporal-resolution characterizations.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Silvia G. Motti, Manuel Kober-Czerny, Marcello Righetto, Philippe Holzhey, Joel Smith, Hans Kraus, Henry J. Snaith, Michael B. Johnston, Laura M. Herz
Summary: Metal halide perovskite (MHP) semiconductors have revolutionized optoelectronic technologies for high-efficiency photovoltaic applications. This study investigates the charge carriers and their transport mechanisms in low-dimensional MHPs using ultrafast optical and terahertz spectroscopy. The findings provide new insights into the interplay of exciton and free-carrier populations in 2D MHPs and demonstrate the potential of these semiconductors for solar cells, transistors, and electrically driven light sources.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xinyi Shen, Benjamin M. Gallant, Philippe Holzhey, Joel A. Smith, Karim A. Elmestekawy, Zhongcheng Yuan, P. V. G. M. Rathnayake, Stefano Bernardi, Akash Dasgupta, Ernestas Kasparavicius, Tadas Malinauskas, Pietro Caprioglio, Oleksandra Shargaieva, Yen-Hung Lin, Melissa M. McCarthy, Eva Unger, Vytautas Getautis, Asaph Widmer-Cooper, Laura M. Herz, Henry J. Snaith
Summary: By introducing chloride additives and employing a self-assembled monolayer as the hole-transport layer, challenges in 1.8 eV perovskite solar cells are successfully overcome, resulting in an open-circuit voltage of 1.25 V and a power conversion efficiency of 17.0%.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Adam D. Wright, Jay. B. Patel, Michael B. Johnston, Laura M. Herz
Summary: Understanding the mechanism of light-induced halide segregation is important for using mixed-halide perovskites in multijunction solar cells. Photoluminescence spectroscopy reveals that increasing temperature and light intensity can counteract halide segregation. The acceleration and deceleration of halide segregation with temperature are attributed to the trade-off between temperature activation and entropic factors. High light intensities can also reverse halide segregation, but only temporarily. These findings contribute to a better understanding of halide segregation and the development of efficient and stable perovskite solar cells.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jessica L. Boland, Djamshid A. Damry, Chelsea Q. Xia, Piet Schoenherr, Dharmalingam Prabhakaran, Laura M. Herz, Thorsten Hesjedal, Michael B. Johnston
Summary: By exploiting band structure topology, both helicity-dependent and helicityindependent THz emission can be generated from nanowires of the topological Dirac semimetal Cd3As2. Narrowband THz pulses can be generated at oblique incidence by driving the system with optical (1.55 eV) pulses with circular polarization. Varying the incident angle also provides control of the peak emission frequency, with peak frequencies spanning 0.21-1.40 THz as the angle is tuned from 15 to 45 degrees. Therefore, Cd3As2 nanowires are considered a promising novel material platform for controllable terahertz emission.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Karim A. Elmestekawy, Benjamin M. Gallant, Adam D. Wright, Philippe Holzhey, Nakita K. Noel, Michael B. Johnston, Henry J. Snaith, Laura M. Herz
Summary: This study explores the effects of three common solution-based film-fabrication methods on FAPbI3 crystals, and finds that two methods can reduce quantum confinement effects and improve the conversion efficiency and short-circuit current of solar cells. A meta-analysis of 244 articles and 825 photovoltaic devices confirms that PCE rarely exceeds a 20% threshold when these absorption features are present. Therefore, ensuring the absence of these absorption features should be the primary consideration when designing fabrication approaches for high-efficiency FAPbI3 solar cells.
ACS ENERGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhenglin Jia, Marcello Righetto, Yujie Yang, Chelsea Q. Xia, Yanyan Li, Ruiming Li, Yuwei Li, Bin Yu, Yong Liu, Huiming Huang, Michael B. Johnston, Laura M. Herz, Qianqian Lin
Summary: Chalcogenide-based semiconductors are promising for optoelectronic devices due to their low-cost, solution processability, stability, and tunable properties. However, the understanding of their fundamental optoelectronic properties is limited. In this study, we compare different chalcogenide absorbers to assess their suitability for various applications. We analyze their charge-carrier dynamics using optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy and time-resolved microwave conductivity techniques. We find that antimony-based chalcogenide thin films have lower mobilities and shorter lifetimes than bismuth-based chalcogenides, with AgBiS2 thin films showing the highest mobility and Sb2S3 thin films having less energetic disorder, which are beneficial for photovoltaic devices. On the other hand, Bi(2)S(3 )exhibits ultralong carrier lifetime and high photoconductive gain, making it useful for designing photoconductors.
ACS ENERGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Aleksander M. Ulatowski, Karim A. Elmestekawy, Jay B. Patel, Nakita K. Noel, Siyu Yan, Hans Kraus, Peter G. Huggard, Michael B. Johnston, Laura M. Herz
Summary: Metal-halide perovskites are versatile semiconductors for optoelectronic applications, but changes in composition can affect charge-carrier transport and recombination mechanisms. This study presents a novel technique to investigate these processes across a wide temperature range. The results show that the charge-carrier dynamics in different perovskite compositions are influenced by various factors, such as radiative processes, energetic disorder, and non-radiative processes.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marcello Righetto, Yongjie Wang, Karim A. Elmestekawy, Chelsea Q. Xia, Michael B. Johnston, Gerasimos Konstantatos, Laura M. Herz
Summary: Efficient charge-carrier transport is critical in semiconductors for photovoltaic applications. This work demonstrates that disorder engineering in a multinary chalcogenide semiconductor can significantly enhance charge-carrier mobility and extend their lifetime. By introducing cation disorder in AgBiS2 nanocrystals, the charge-carrier mobility is increased by sixfold, reaching approximately 2.7 cm(2) V-1 s(-1) in thin films. Moreover, cation disorder reduces charge-carrier localization.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Paz Sebastia-Luna, Nathan Rodkey, Adeem Saeed Mirza, Sigurd Mertens, Snigdha Lal, Axel Melchor Gaona Carranza, Joaquin Calbo, Marcello Righetto, Michele Sessolo, Laura M. Herz, Koen Vandewal, Enrique Orti, Monica Morales-Masis, Henk J. Bolink, Francisco Palazon
Summary: This study reports a fast and low-temperature mechanochemical synthesis method for silver chalcohalide antiperovskites. The structural and optical properties are experimentally examined and supported by first-principles calculations. Furthermore, the thin films of Ag3SI are deposited by pulsed laser deposition and their optoelectronic properties are characterized, revealing a high charge-carrier mobility of 49 cm(2) V-1 s(-1). This work paves the way for the implementation of chalcohalide antiperovskites in various optoelectronic applications.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Snigdha Lal, Marcello Righetto, Aleksander M. Ulatowski, Silvia G. Motti, Zhuotong Sun, Judith L. MacManus-Driscoll, Robert L. Z. Hoye, Laura M. Herz
Summary: This study investigates the terahertz photoconductivity dynamics of thin films of BiOI and reveals a lack of self-trapping in charge carriers, leading to good charge-carrier mobility. The results show that BiOI has a higher potential as a light-harvesting semiconductor compared to traditional lead halide materials.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mathias Uller Rothmann, Kilian B. Lohmann, Juliane Borchert, Michael B. Johnston, Keith P. McKenna, Laura M. Herz, Peter D. Nellist
Summary: Metal halide perovskite semiconductors, with an excess of lead iodide (PbI2) in the films, have demonstrated improved performance in solar cells. The coherence of the FAPbI(3):PbI2 interface in perovskite films is achieved through a 3R polytype formation of PbI2, which deviates from its common 2H hexagonal phase. The presence of PbI2 at the interface can help template perovskite crystal growth and passivate interfacial defects, leading to enhanced solar cell performance.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2023)