Pseudohalide (SCN<sup>–</sup>)‑Doped
MAPbI<sub>3</sub> Perovskites: A Few Surprises
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Abstract
Pseudohalide thiocyanate anion (SCN<sup>–</sup>) has been
used as a dopant in a methylammonium lead tri-iodide (MAPbI<sub>3</sub>) framework, aiming for its use as an absorber layer for photovoltaic
applications. The substitution of SCN<sup>–</sup> pseudohalide
anion, as verified using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy,
results in a comprehensive effect on the optical properties of the
original material. Photoluminescence measurements at room temperature
reveal a significant enhancement in the emission quantum yield of
MAPbI<sub>3–<i>x</i></sub>(SCN)<sub><i>x</i></sub> as compared to MAPbI<sub>3</sub>, suggestive of suppression
of nonradiative channels. This increased intensity is attributed to
a highly edge specific emission from MAPbI<sub>3–<i>x</i></sub>(SCN)<sub><i>x</i></sub> microcrystals as revealed
by photoluminescence microscopy. Fluoresence lifetime imaging measurements
further established contrasting carrier recombination dynamics for
grain boundaries and the bulk of the doped material. Spatially resolved
emission spectroscopy on individual microcrystals of MAPbI<sub>3–<i>x</i></sub>(SCN)<sub><i>x</i></sub> reveals that the
optical bandgap and density of states at various (local) nanodomains
are also nonuniform. Surprisingly, several (local) emissive regions
within MAPbI<sub>3–<i>x</i></sub>(SCN)<sub><i>x</i></sub> microcrystals are found to be optically unstable
under photoirradiation, and display unambiguous temporal intermittency
in emission (blinking), which is extremely unusual and intriguing.
We find diverse blinking behaviors for the undoped MAPbI<sub>3</sub> crystals as well, which leads us to speculate that blinking may
be a common phenomenon for most hybrid perovskite materials