Untangling free carrier and exciton dynamics in layered hybrid perovskites using ultrafast optical and terahertz spectroscopy

\ua9 2024 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.Layered hybrid perovskites (LPKs) are promising as alternatives or additives to 3D metal halide perovskites for optoelectronic applications including photovoltaic cells, LEDs and lasers due to their increased stability. However, high exciton binding energies in these materials mean that excitons are the majority species under the operating conditions of many devices. Although the efficiency of devices that incorporate LPKs has been increasing, much is still unknown about the interplay of excitons and free charge-carriers in these materials, which is vital information for understanding how optoelectronic properties dictate device efficiency. In this work, we employ optical pump/THz probe spectroscopy (OPTP) and visible transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) to analyse the optoelectronic properties and charge-carrier dynamics of phenylethylammonium lead iodide (PEA)2PbI4. By combining these techniques, we are able to disentangle the contributions from excitons and free charge-carriers. We observe fast cooling of free charge-carriers and exciton formation on a timescale of ∼400 fs followed by slower bimolecular recombination of residual free charge-carriers with a rate constant k 2 ∼ 109 cm3s−1. Excitons recombine via two monomolecular processes with lifetimes t 1 ∼ 11 ps and t2 ∼ 83 ps. Furthermore, we detect signatures of exciton-phonon coupling in the transient absorption kinetic traces. These findings provide new insight into the interplay between free charge-carriers and excitons as well as a possible mechanism to further understand the charge-carrier dynamics in LPKs

Illuminating the Devolution of Perovskite Passivation Layers

\ua9 2024 The Author(s). Small Structures published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.Surface treatment of perovskite materials with their layered counterparts has become an ubiquitous strategy for maximizing device performance. While layered materials confer great benefits to the longevity and long-term efficiency of the resulting device stack via passivation of defects and surface traps, numerous reports have previously demonstrated that these materials evolve under exposure to light and humidity, suggesting that they are not fully stable. Therefore, it is crucial to study the behavior of these materials in isolation and in conditions mimicking a device stack. Here, it is shown that perovskite capping layers templated by a range of cations on top of methylammonium lead iodide devolve in conditions commonly found during perovskite fabrication, such as exposure to light, solvent, and moisture. Photophysical, structural, and morphological studies are used to show that the degradation of these layered perovskites occurs via a self-limiting, pinhole-mediated mechanism. This results in the loss of whole perovskite sheets, from a few monolayers to tens of nanometers of material, until the system stabilizes again as demonstrated for exfoliated flakes of PEA2PbI4. This means that initially targeted structures may have devolved, with clear optimization implications for device fabrication

Modelling Human Regulatory Variation in Mouse: Finding the Function in Genome-Wide Association Studies and Whole-Genome Sequencing

An increasing body of literature from genome-wide association studies and human whole-genome sequencing highlights the identification of large numbers of candidate regulatory variants of potential therapeutic interest in numerous diseases. Our relatively poor understanding of the functions of non-coding genomic sequence, and the slow and laborious process of experimental validation of the functional significance of human regulatory variants, limits our ability to fully benefit from this information in our efforts to comprehend human disease. Humanized mouse models (HuMMs), in which human genes are introduced into the mouse, suggest an approach to this problem. In the past, HuMMs have been used successfully to study human disease variants; e.g., the complex genetic condition arising from Down syndrome, common monogenic disorders such as Huntington disease and β-thalassemia, and cancer susceptibility genes such as BRCA1. In this commentary, we highlight a novel method for high-throughput single-copy site-specific generation of HuMMs entitled High-throughput Human Genes on the X Chromosome (HuGX). This method can be applied to most human genes for which a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) construct can be derived and a mouse-null allele exists. This strategy comprises (1) the use of recombineering technology to create a human variant–harbouring BAC, (2) knock-in of this BAC into the mouse genome using Hprt docking technology, and (3) allele comparison by interspecies complementation. We demonstrate the throughput of the HuGX method by generating a series of seven different alleles for the human NR2E1 gene at Hprt. In future challenges, we consider the current limitations of experimental approaches and call for a concerted effort by the genetics community, for both human and mouse, to solve the challenge of the functional analysis of human regulatory variation

Charge-carrier cooling and polarization memory loss in formamidinium tin triiodide

Combination of a cryogenic ion-trap machine, operated at 4.7 K, with the free-electron-laser FELIX allows the first experimental characterization of the unusually bright antisymmetric stretch (andnu;3) and andpi;-bending (andnu;2) fundamentals of the Heandndash;X+andndash;He (X = H, D) chromophore of the in situ prepared HHen+andnbsp;and DHen+andnbsp;(nandnbsp;= 3andndash;6) complexes. The band origins obtained are fully supported by first-principles quantum-chemical computations, performed at the MP2, the CCSD(T), and occasionally the CCSDTQ levels employing extended basis sets. Both the experiments and the computations are consistent with structures for the species withandnbsp;nandnbsp;= 3 and 6 being of T-shapedandnbsp;C2vandnbsp;and ofandnbsp;D4handnbsp;symmetry, respectively, while the species withandnbsp;nandnbsp;= 4 are suggested to exhibit interesting dynamical phenomena related to large-amplitude motions.</p

Formation dynamics of CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite following two-step layer deposition

Hybrid metal-halide perovskites have emerged as a leading class of semiconductors for optoelectronic devices because of their desirable material properties and versatile fabrication methods. However, little is known about the chemical transformations that occur in the initial stages of perovskite crystal formation. Here we follow the real-time formation dynamics of MAPbI3 from a bilayer of lead iodide (PbI2) and methylammonium iodide (MAI) deposited through a two-step thermal evaporation process. By lowering the substrate temperature during deposition, we are able to initially inhibit intermixing of the two layers. We subsequently use infrared and visible light transmission, X-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence lifetime measurements to reveal the room-temperature transformations that occur in vacuum and ambient air, as MAI diffuses into the PbI2 lattice to form MAPbI3. In vacuum, the transformation to MAPbI3 is incomplete as unreacted MAI is retained in the film. However, exposure to moist air allows for conversion of the unreacted MAI to MAPbI3, demonstrating that moisture is essential in making MAI more mobile and thus aiding perovskite crystallization. These dynamic processes are reflected in the observed charge-carrier lifetimes, which strongly fluctuate during periods of large ion migration but steadily increase with improving crystallinity

Charge-carrier cooling and polarization memory loss in formamidinium tin triiodide

Combination of a cryogenic ion-trap machine, operated at 4.7 K, with the free-electron-laser FELIX allows the first experimental characterization of the unusually bright antisymmetric stretch (ν3) and π-bending (ν2) fundamentals of the He–X+–He (X = H, D) chromophore of the in situ prepared HHen+ and DHen+ (n = 3–6) complexes. The band origins obtained are fully supported by first-principles quantum-chemical computations, performed at the MP2, the CCSD(T), and occasionally the CCSDTQ levels employing extended basis sets. Both the experiments and the computations are consistent with structures for the species with n = 3 and 6 being of T-shaped C2v and of D4h symmetry, respectively, while the species with n = 4 are suggested to exhibit interesting dynamical phenomena related to large-amplitude motions.</p

Effect of structural phase transition on charge-carrier lifetimes and defects in CH3NH3SnI3 perovskite

Methylammonium tin triiodide (MASnI3) has been successfully employed in lead-free perovskite solar cells, but overall power-conversion efficiencies are still significantly lower than for lead-based perovskites. Here we present photoluminescence (PL) spectra and time-resolved PL from 8 to 295 K and find a marked improvement in carrier lifetime and a substantial reduction in PL line width below ∼110 K, indicating that the cause of the hindered performance is activated at the orthorhombic to tetragonal phase transition. Our measurements therefore suggest that targeted structural change may be capable of tailoring the relative energy level alignment of defects (e.g., tin vacancies) to reduce the background dopant density and improve charge extraction. In addition, we observe for the first time an above-gap emission feature that may arise from higher-lying interband transitions, raising the prospect of excess energy harvesting

Resolving the Ultrafast Charge Carrier Dynamics of 2D and 3D Domains within a Mixed 2D/3D Lead-Tin Perovskite

AbstractMixed 2D/3D perovskite materials are of particular interest to the photovoltaics and light‐ emitting diode (LED) communities due to their impressive opto‐electronic properties alongside improved moisture stability compared to conventional 3D perovskite absorbers. Here, a mixed lead‐tin perovskite containing distinct, self‐assembled domains of either 3D structures or highly phase‐pure Ruddlesden–Popper 2D structures is studied. The complex energy landscape of the material is revealed with ultrafast optical transient absorption measurements. It is shown that charge transfer between these microscale domains only occurs on nanosecond timescales, consistent with the large size of the domains. Using optical pump‐terahertz probe spectroscopy, the effective charge‐carrier mobility is shown to be an intermediary between analogous pure 2D and 3D perovskites. Furthermore, detailed analysis of the free carrier recombination dynamics is presented. By combining results from a range of excitation wavelengths within a full dynamic model of the photoexcited carrier population, it is shown that the 2D domains in the film exhibit remarkably similar carrier dynamics to the 3D domains, suggesting that long‐range charge‐transport should not be impeded by the heterogeneous structure of the material.</jats:p

Band-tail recombination in hybrid lead iodide perovskite

Traps limit the photovoltaic efficiency and affect the charge transport of optoelectronic devices based on hybrid lead halide perovskites. Understanding the nature and energy scale of these trap states is therefore crucial for the development and optimization of solar cell and laser technology based on these materials. Here, the low-temperature photoluminescence of formamidinium lead triiodide (HC(NH2)2PbI3) is investigated. A power-law time dependence in the emission intensity and an additional low-energy emission peak that exhibits an anomalous relative Stokes shift are observed. Using a rate-equation model and a Monte Carlo simulation, it is revealed that both phenomena arise from an exponential trap-density tail with characteristic energy scale of ≈3 meV. Charge-carrier recombination from sites deep within the tail is found to cause emission with energy downshifted by up to several tens of meV. Hence, such phenomena may in part be responsible for open-circuit voltage losses commonly observed in these materials. In this high-quality hybrid perovskite, trap states thus predominantly comprise a continuum of energetic levels (associated with disorder) rather than discrete trap energy levels (associated, e.g., with elemental vacancies). Hybrid perovskites may therefore be viewed as classic semiconductors whose bandstructure picture is moderated by a modest degree of energetic disorder