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Register a new userLifetime-shortened acoustic phonons and static order at the Brillouin zone boundary in the organic-inorganic perovskite CH$_3$NH$_3$PbCl$_3$
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Lead halide hybrid perovskites consist of an inorganic framework hosting a molecular cation located in the interstitial space. These compounds have been extensively studied as they have been identified as promising materials for photovoltaic applications with the interaction between the molecular cation and the inorganic framework implicated as influential for the electronic properties. CH3NH3PbCl3 undergoes two structural transitions from a high temperature cubic unit cell to a tetragonal phase at 177 K and an orthorhombic transition at 170 K. We have measured the low-frequency lattice dynamics using neutron spectroscopy and observe an energy broadening in the acoustic phonon linewidth towards the symmetry point QX =(2,1/2,0) when approaching the transitions. Concomitant with these zone boundary anomalies is a hardening of the entire acoustic phonon branch measured near the (2, 0, 0) Bragg position with decreasing temperature. Measurements of the elastic scattering at the Brillouin zone edges QX = (2,1/2,0), QM = (3/2,1/2,0), and QR = (3/2,3/2,5/2) show Bragg peaks appearing below these structural transitions. Based on selection rules of neutron scattering, we suggest that the higher 177 K transition is displacive with a distortion of the local octahedral environment and the lower transition is a rigid tilt transition of the octahedra. We do not observe any critical broadening in energy or momentum, beyond resolution, of these peaks near the transitions. We compare these results to the critical properties reported near the structural transitions in other perovskites. We suggest that the simultaneous onset of static resolution-limited Bragg peaks at the zone boundaries and the changes in acoustic phonon energies near the zone center is evidence of a coupling between the inorganic framework and the molecular cation.
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The organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites are composed of organic molecules imbedded in an inorganic framework. The compounds with general formula CH$_{3}$NH$_{3}$PbX$_{3}$ (MAPbX$_{2}$) display large photovoltaic efficiencies for halogens $X$=Cl, Br, and I in a wide variety of sample geometries and preparation methods. The organic cation and inorganic framework are bound by hydrogen bonds that tether the molecules to the halide anions, and this has been suggested to be important to the optoelectronic properties. We have studied the effects of this bonding using time-of-flight neutron spectroscopy to measure the molecular dynamics in CH$_3$NH$_3$PbCl$_3$ (MAPbCl$_3$). Low-energy/high-resolution neutron backscattering reveals thermally-activated molecular dynamics with a characteristic temperature of $sim$ 95,K. At this same temperature, higher-energy neutron spectroscopy indicates the presence of an anomalous broadening in energy (reduced lifetime) associated with the molecular vibrations. By contrast, neutron powder diffraction shows that a spatially long-range structural phase transitions occurs at 178,K (cubic $rightarrow$ tetragonal) and 173,K (tetragonal $rightarrow$ orthorhombic). The large difference between these two temperature scales suggests that the molecular and inorganic lattice dynamics in MAPbCl$_3$ are actually decoupled. With the assumption that underlying physical mechanisms do not change with differing halogens in the organic-inorganic perovskites, we speculate that the energy scale most relevant to the photovoltaic properties of the lead-halogen perovskites is set by the lead-halide bond, not by the hydrogen bond.
We study the circular photogalvanic effect in the organometal halide perovskite solar cell absorber CH$_3$NH$_3$PbI$_3$. For crystal structures which lack inversion symmetry, the calculated photocurrent density is about $10^{-9}$ A/W, comparable to the previously studied quantum well and bulk Rashba systems. Because of the dependence of the circular photogalvanic effect on inversion symmetry breaking, the degree of inversion asymmetry at different depths from the surface can be probed by tuning the photon energy and associated penetration depth. We propose that measurements of this effect may clarify the presence or absence of inversion symmetry, which remains a controversial issue and has been argued to play an important role in the high conversion efficiency of this material.
The demand for ever-increasing density of information storage and speed of manipulation boosts an intense search for new magnetic materials and novel ways of controlling the magnetic bit. Here, we report the synthesis of a ferromagnetic photovoltaic CH$_3$NH$_3$(Mn:Pb)I$_3$ material in which the photo-excited electrons rapidly melt the local magnetic order through the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interactions without heating up the spin system. Our finding offers an alternative, very simple and efficient way of optical spin control, and opens an avenue for applications in low power, light controlling magnetic devices.
Hybrid halide perovskites exhibit nearly 20% power conversion efficiency, but the origin of their high efficiency is still unknown. Here, we compute the shift current, a dominant mechanism of bulk photovoltaic (PV) effect for ferroelectric photovoltaics, in CH$_3$NH$_3$PbI$_3$ and CH$_3$NH$_3$PbI$_{3-x}$Cl$_{x}$ from first principles. We find that these materials give approximately three times larger shift current PV response to near-IR and visible light than the prototypical ferroelectric photovoltaic BiFeO$_3$. The molecular orientations of CH$_3$NH$_3^{+}$ can strongly affect the corresponding PbI$_3$ inorganic frame so as to alter the magnitude of the shift current response. Specifically, configurations with dipole moments aligned in parallel distort the inorganic PbI$_3$ frame more significantly than configurations with near net zero dipole, yielding a larger shift current response. Furthermore, we explore the effect of Cl substitution on shift current, and find that Cl substitution at the equatorial site induces a larger response than does substitution at the apical site.
Instability of perovskite photovoltaics is still a topic which is currently under intense debate, especially the role of water environment. Unraveling the mechanism of this instability is urgent to enable practical application of perovskite solar cells. Here, ab initio metadynamics is employed to investigate the initial phase of a dissolution process of CH$_3$NH$_3$PbI$_3$ (MAPbI$_3$) in explicit water. It is found that the initial dissolution of MAPbI$_3$ is a complex multi-step process triggered by the departure of I$^-$ ion from the CH$_3$NH$_3$I-terminated surface. Reconstruction of the free energy landscape indicates a low energy barrier for water dissolution of MAPbI$_3$. In addition, we propose a two-step thermodynamic cycle for MAPbI$_3$ dissolution in water at a finite concentration that renders a spontaneity of the dissolution process. The low energy barrier for the initial dissolution step and the spontaneous nature of MAPbI$_3$ dissolution in water explain why the water immediately destroys pristine MAPbI$_3$. The dissolution thermodynamics of all-inorganic CsPbI$_3$ perovskite is also analyzed for comparison. Hydration enthalpies and entropies of aqueous ions play an important role for the dissolution process. Our findings provide a comprehensive understanding to the current debate on water instability of MAPbI$_3$.
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