Skip to main content

Surface Lattice Engineering through Three-Dimensional Lead Iodide Perovskitoid for High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells

March 11, 2021

Three-dimensional perovskitoid (Me-PDA)Pb2I6 surface layer modification by a simple surface treatment with Me-PDAI2 on top of a 3D perovskite thin film, led to smoother surface texture, longer charge-carrier lifetime, higher charge-carrier mobility, and reduced surface-defect density.

Scientific Achievement

A new bulky-organic-cation-based salt, N-methyl-1,3-propane diammonium diiodide (Me-PDAI2) can template a novel 3D "perovskitoid" structure (Me-PDA)Pb2I6, which exhibits ~28× better out-of-plane transport than the commonly used (PEA)2PbI4 2D structure.

Significance and Impact

Surface treatment Me-PDAI2 atop 3D perovskite forms a thin 3D (Me-PDA)Pb2I6 perovskitoid surface layer with smoother surface texture, longer charge-carrier lifetime, higher charge-carrier mobility, and reduced surface-defect density. Perovskitoid represents a new design motif for perovskite surface engineering.

Research Details

  • Solution processing to prepare 3D perovskitoid based on N-methyl-1,3-propane diammonium (Me-PDA).
  • Surface treatment induces the formation of 3D perovskitoid surface layer on top of 3D perovskite thin film.
  • Detailed spectroscopic and electrical measurements to understand carrier transport and defect properties.

DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2020.12.023

Related People

Joseph Berry
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Matthew Beard
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Kai Zhu
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

a. illustration of a perovskite with an arrow labeled Me-PDA pointing to an illustration of a perovskitoid; b. illustration of MAPbl3; c. illustration of (Me-PDA)Pb2l6;

Crystal structure of (Me-PDA)Pb2sub>I6 (perovskitoid) compared with MAPbI3 (perovskite). (a) Perovskitoid can be derived from perovskite by replacing every octahedron with an edge-sharing octahedra dimer. (b) Side view of crystal structure of (Me-PDA)Pb2I6, featuring a combination of corner-sharing linkages and edge-sharing octahedra dimers. (c) Top view of crystal structure.