Origin of long lifetime of band-edge charge carriers in organic–inorganic lead iodide perovskites
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Journal Volume
114
Journal Issue
29
Pages
7519-7524
Date Issued
2017
Author(s)
Chen, T.
Abstract
Long carrier lifetime is what makes hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites high-performance photovoltaic materials. Several microscopic mechanisms behind the unusually long carrier lifetime have been proposed, such as formation of large polarons, Rashba effect, ferroelectric domains, and photon recycling. Here, we show that the screening of band-edge charge carriers by rotation of organic cation molecules can be a major contribution to the prolonged carrier lifetime. Our results reveal that the band-edge carrier lifetime increases when the system enters from a phase with lower rotational entropy to another phase with higher entropy. These results imply that the recombination of the photoexcited electrons and holes is suppressed by the screening, leading to the formation of polarons and thereby extending the lifetime. Thus, searching for organic–inorganic perovskites with high rotational entropy over a wide range of temperature may be a key to achieve superior solar cell performance. © 2017, National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Subjects
Carrier lifetime; Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite; Photoluminescence; Polaron
SDGs
Other Subjects
iodide; lead; methylammonium; organolead compound; perovskite; calcium derivative; heavy metal; iodide; oxide; perovskite; titanium; Article; electricity; electron; entropy; molecule; photoluminescence; priority journal; screening; chemistry; luminescence; neutron; photochemistry; solar energy; sunlight; temperature; Calcium Compounds; Electrons; Iodides; Luminescence; Metals, Heavy; Neutrons; Oxides; Photochemistry; Solar Energy; Sunlight; Temperature; Titanium
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Type
journal article