| Literature DB >> 26859250 |
Jarvist M Frost1, Aron Walsh1,2.
Abstract
Organic-inorganic semiconductors, which adopt the perovskite crystal structure, have perturbed the landscape of contemporary photovoltaics research. High-efficiency solar cells can be produced with solution-processed active layers. The materials are earth abundant, and the simple processing required suggests that high-throughput and low-cost manufacture at scale should be possible. While these materials bear considerable similarity to traditional inorganic semiconductors, there are notable differences in their optoelectronic behavior. A key distinction of these materials is that they are physically soft, leading to considerable thermally activated motion. In this Account, we discuss the internal motion of methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) and formamidinium lead iodide ([CH(NH2)2]PbI3), covering: (i) molecular rotation-libration in the cuboctahedral cavity; (ii) drift and diffusion of large electron and hole polarons; (iii) transport of charged ionic defects. These processes give rise to a range of properties that are unconventional for photovoltaic materials, including frequency-dependent permittivity, low electron-hole recombination rates, and current-voltage hysteresis. Multiscale simulations, drawing from electronic structure, ab initio molecular dynamic and Monte Carlo computational techniques, have been combined with neutron diffraction measurements, quasi-elastic neutron scattering, and ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy to qualify the nature and time scales of the motions. Electron and hole motion occurs on a femtosecond time scale. Molecular libration is a sub-picosecond process. Molecular rotations occur with a time constant of several picoseconds depending on the cation. Recent experimental evidence and theoretical models for simultaneous electron and ion transport in these materials has been presented, suggesting they are mixed-mode conductors with similarities to fast-ion conducting metal oxide perovskites developed for battery and fuel cell applications. We expound on the implications of these effects for the photovoltaic action. The temporal behavior displayed by hybrid perovskites introduces a sensitivity in materials characterization to the time and length scale of the measurement, as well as the history of each sample. It also poses significant challenges for accurate materials modeling and device simulations. There are large differences between the average and local crystal structures, and the nature of charge transport is too complex to be described by common one-dimensional drift-diffusion models. Herein, we critically discuss the atomistic origin of the dynamic processes and the associated chemical disorder intrinsic to crystalline hybrid perovskite semiconductors.Entities:
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Year: 2016 PMID: 26859250 PMCID: PMC4794704 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.5b00431
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Acc Chem Res ISSN: 0001-4842 Impact factor: 22.384
Figure 1Temperature-dependent (100–352 K) powder neutron-diffraction pattern of CH3NH3PbI3. From ref (7). Adapted by permission of the RSC. The space groups of the average crystals structures are shown with a schematic of the extent of disorder in the CH3NH3+ sublattice.
Figure 2Bimolecular electron–hole recombination rates in hybrid perovskites are anomalously low. Two mechanisms are illustrated: (i) Relativistic splitting of the band edge states suppresses electron–hole recombination at the valence and conduction band edges due to momentum selection rules. The band edges are separated in reciprocal space. (ii) Fluctuations in electrostatic potential caused by molecular arrangements/octahedral distortion could cause electrons and holes to separate as proposed in ref (39). The band edges are separated in real space. These are two models that could reduce recombination rates.
Summary of Dynamic Processes and Estimates of Their Associated Time Constants in CH3NH3PbI3
| process | microscopic origin | time scale | frequency | diffusion coefficient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lattice vibrations | vibrational entropy | 10 fs to 1 ps | 1–100 THz | |
| molecular libration | vibrational entropy | 0.5 ps | 2 THz | |
| molecular rotation | rotational entropy | 3 ps | 0.3 THz | |
| electron transport | drift and diffusion | ∼1 fs | ∼1000 THz | 10–6 cm2 s–1 |
| hole transport | drift and diffusion | ∼1 fs | ∼1000 THz | 10–6 cm2 s–1 |
| ion transport | drift and diffusion | ∼1 ps | ∼1 THz | 10–12 cm2 s–1 |
Figure 3Comparison of the frequency-dependent dielectric response of a banana (Adapted from ref (46) with permission by IoP, Copyright 2008) and CH3NH3PbI3 (Adapted with permission from ref (47). Copyright 2014 American Chemical Society.). Broadband spectra of (a) real and (b) imaginary dielectric permittivity and (c) conductivity of a banana skin at room temperature. The (d) real and (e) imaginary permittivity of a CH3NH3PbI3 thin film under dark and 1 sun illumination conditions. The free carrier concentration is increased with above band gap illumination.