No Arabic abstract
The unprecedented structural flexibility and diversity of inorganic frameworks of layered hybrid halide perovskites (LHHPs) rise up a wide range of useful optoelectronic properties thus predetermining the extraordinary high interest to this family of materials. Nevertheless, the influence of different types of distortions of their inorganic framework on key physical properties such as band gap has not yet been quantitatively identified. We provided a systematic study of the relationships between LHHPs band gaps and six main structural descriptors of inorganic framework, including interlayer distances (dint), in-plane and out-of-plane distortion angles in layers of octahedra ({theta}in,{theta}out), layer shift factor (LSF), axial and equatorial Pb-I bond distances (dax,deq). Using the set on the selected structural distortions we realized the inverse materials design based on multi-step DFT and machine learning approach to search LHHPs with target values of the band gap. The analysis of calculated descriptors band gap dependences for the wide range of generated model structures of (100) single-layered LHHPs results in the following descending order of their importance:dint > {theta}in > dax > LSFmin > {theta}out > deq > LSFmax, and also implies a strong interaction value for some pairs of structural descriptors. Moreover,we found that the structures with completely different distortions of inorganic framework can have similar band gap, as illustrated by a number of both experimental and model structures.
Behaving like atomically-precise two-dimensional quantum wells with non-negligible dielectric contrast, the layered HOIPs have strong electronic interactions leading to tightly bound excitons with binding energies on the order of 500 meV. These strong interactions suggest the possibility of larger excitonic complexes like trions and biexcitons, which are hard to study numerically due to the complexity of the layered HOIPs. Here, we propose and parameterize a model Hamiltonian for excitonic complexes in layered HOIPs and we study the correlated eigenfunctions of trions and biexcitons using a combination of diffusion Monte Carlo and very large variational calculations with explicitly correlated Gaussian basis functions. Binding energies and spatial structures of these complexes are presented as a function of the layer thickness. The trion and biexciton of the thinnest layered HOIP have binding energies of 35 meV and 44 meV, respectively, whereas a single exfoliated layer is predicted to have trions and biexcitons with equal binding enegies of 48 meV. We compare our findings to available experimental data and to that of other quasi-two-dimensional materials.
The development of next generation perovskite-based optoelectronic devices relies critically on the understanding of the interaction between charge carriers and the polar lattice in out-of-equilibrium conditions. While it has become increasingly evident for CsPbBr3 perovskites that the Pb-Br framework flexibility plays a key role in their light-activated functionality, the corresponding local structural rearrangement has not yet been unambiguously identified. In this work, we demonstrate that the photoinduced lattice changes in the system are due to a specific polaronic distortion, associated with the activation of a longitudinal optical phonon mode at 18 meV by electron-phonon coupling, and we quantify the associated structural changes with atomic-level precision. Key to this achievement is the combination of time-resolved and temperature-dependent studies at Br K-edge and Pb L3-edge X-ray absorption with refined ab-initio simulations, which fully account for the screened core-hole final state effects on the X-ray absorption spectra. From the temporal kinetics, we show that carrier recombination reversibly unlocks the structural deformation at both Br and Pb sites. The comparison with the temperature-dependent XAS results rules out thermal effects as the primary source of distortion of the Pb-Br bonding motif during photoexcitation. Our work provides a comprehensive description of the CsPbBr3 perovskites photophysics, offering novel insights on the light-induced response of the system and its exceptional optoelectronic properties.
The acoustic phonons in the organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites have been reported to have anomalously short lifetimes over a large part of the Brillouin zone. The resulting shortened mean free paths of the phonons have been implicated as the origin of the low thermal conductivity. We apply neutron spectroscopy to show that the same acoustic phonon energy linewidth broadening (corresponding to shortened lifetimes) occurs in the fully inorganic CsPbBr$_{3}$ by comparing the results on the organic-inorganic CH$_{3}$NH$_{3}$PbCl$_{3}$. We investigate the critical dynamics near the three zone boundaries of the cubic $Pmoverline{3}m$ Brillouin zone of CsPbBr$_{3}$ and find energy and momentum broadened dynamics at momentum points where the Cs-site ($A$-site) motions contribute to the cross section. Neutron diffraction is used to confirm that both the Cs and Br sites have unusually large thermal displacements with an anisotropy that mirrors the low temperature structural distortions. The presence of an organic molecule is not necessary to disrupt the low-energy acoustic phonons at momentum transfers located away from the zone center in the lead halide perovskites and such damping may be driven by the large displacements or possibly disorder on the $A$ site.
Organic-inorganic coupling in the hybrid lead-halide perovskite is a central issue in rationalizing the outstanding photovoltaic performance of these emerging materials. Here we compare and contrast the evolution of structure and dynamics of the hybrid CH3NH3PbBr3 and the inorganic CsPbBr3 lead-halide perovskites with temperature, using Raman spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Results reveal a stark contrast between their order-disorder transitions, abrupt for the hybrid whereas smooth for the inorganic perovskite. X-ray diffraction observes an intermediate incommensurate phase between the ordered and the disordered phases in CH3NH3PbBr3. Low-frequency Raman scattering captures the appearance of a sharp soft mode in the incommensurate phase, ascribed to the theoretically predicted amplitudon mode. Our work highlights the interaction between the structural dynamics of organic cation CH3NH3+ and the lead-halide framework, and unravels the competition between tendencies of the organic and inorganic moieties to minimize energy in the incommensurate phase of the hybrid perovskite structure.
The organic-inorganic hybrid lead trihalide perovskites have been emerging as the most attractive photovoltaic material. As regulated by Shockley-Queisser theory, a formidable materials science challenge for the next level improvement requires further band gap narrowing for broader absorption in solar spectrum, while retaining or even synergistically prolonging the carrier lifetime, a critical factor responsible for attaining the near-band gap photovoltage. Herein, by applying controllable hydrostatic pressure we have achieved unprecedented simultaneous enhancement in both band gap narrowing and carrier lifetime prolongation (up to 70~100% increase) under mild pressures at ~0.3 GPa. The pressure-induced modulation on pure hybrid perovskites without introducing any adverse chemical or thermal effect clearly demonstrates the importance of band edges on the photon-electron interaction and maps a pioneering route towards a further boost in their photovoltaic performance.