skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Unravelling the Effects of Grain Boundary and Chemical Doping on Electron–Hole Recombination in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 Perovskite by Time-Domain Atomistic Simulation

Journal Article · · Journal of the American Chemical Society
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6b00645· OSTI ID:1241916
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Theoretical & Computational Photochemistry of Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P. R. China, School of Physics, Complex & Adaptive Systems Lab, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
  3. Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States

Advancing organohalide perovskite solar cells requires understanding of carrier dynamics. Electron–hole recombination is a particularly important process because it constitutes a major pathway of energy and current losses. Grain boundaries (GBs) are common in methylammonium lead iodine CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) perovskite polycrystalline films. First-principles calculations have suggested that GBs have little effect on the recombination; however, experiments defy this prediction. Using nonadiabatic (NA) molecular dynamics combined with time-domain density functional theory, we show that GBs notably accelerate the electron–hole recombination in MAPbI3. First, GBs enhance the electron–phonon NA coupling by localizing and contributing to the electron and hole wave functions and by creating additional phonon modes that couple to the electronic degrees of freedom. Second, GBs decrease the MAPbI3 bandgap, reducing the number of vibrational quanta needed to accommodate the electronic energy loss. Third, the phonon-induced loss of electronic coherence remains largely unchanged and not accelerated, as one may expect from increased electron–phonon coupling. Further, replacing iodines by chlorines at GBs reduces the electron–hole recombination. By pushing the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) density away from the boundary, chlorines restore the NA coupling close to the value observed in pristine MAPbI3. By introducing higher-frequency phonons and increasing fluctuation of the electronic gap, chlorines shorten electronic coherence. Both factors compete successfully with the reduced bandgap relative to pristine MAPbI3 and favor long excited-state lifetimes. The simulations show excellent agreement with experiment and characterize how GBs and chlorine dopants affect electron–hole recombination in perovskite solar cells. In conclusion, the simulations suggest a route to increased photon-to-electron conversion efficiencies through rational GB passivation.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Science Foundation of China; Science Foundation Ireland
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0014429; 21573022; 1/SIRG/E2172
OSTI ID:
1241916
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1437012
Journal Information:
Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal Name: Journal of the American Chemical Society Vol. 138 Journal Issue: 11; ISSN 0002-7863
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 274 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (75)

Generalized Gradient Approximation Made Simple journal October 1996
Coherent switching with decay of mixing: An improved treatment of electronic coherence for non-Born–Oppenheimer trajectories journal January 2004
The PYXAID Program for Non-Adiabatic Molecular Dynamics in Condensed Matter Systems journal October 2013
Projector augmented-wave method journal December 1994
Ab Initio Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics of the Ultrafast Electron Injection from a PbSe Quantum Dot into the TiO 2 Surface journal November 2011
Nanowire Perovskite Solar Cell journal February 2015
Regarding the validity of the time-dependent Kohn–Sham approach for electron-nuclear dynamics via trajectory surface hopping journal January 2011
Persistent Electronic Coherence Despite Rapid Loss of Electron–Nuclear Correlation journal November 2013
Interface engineering of highly efficient perovskite solar cells journal July 2014
Origin of High Electronic Quality in Structurally Disordered CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 and the Passivation Effect of Cl and O at Grain Boundaries journal April 2015
Relativistic GW calculations on CH3NH3PbI3 and CH3NH3SnI3 Perovskites for Solar Cell Applications journal March 2014
Photo-induced Charge Separation across the Graphene–TiO 2 Interface Is Faster than Energy Losses: A Time-Domain ab Initio Analysis journal August 2012
Lead halide perovskite nanowire lasers with low lasing thresholds and high quality factors journal April 2015
Decoherence-induced surface hopping journal December 2012
Unravelling the mechanism of photoinduced charge transfer processes in lead iodide perovskite solar cells journal January 2014
Non-Born−Oppenheimer Molecular Dynamics journal February 2006
Mixed quantum-classical equilibrium journal March 2005
Mean field approximation for the stochastic Schrödinger equation journal November 1999
Defects Are Needed for Fast Photo-Induced Electron Transfer from a Nanocrystal to a Molecule: Time-Domain Ab Initio Analysis journal December 2013
Structural and electronic properties of organo-halide lead perovskites: a combined IR-spectroscopy and ab initio molecular dynamics investigation journal January 2014
Electronic structures of lead iodide based low-dimensional crystals journal April 2003
Visualizing Carrier Diffusion in Individual Single-Crystal Organolead Halide Perovskite Nanowires and Nanoplates journal September 2015
General Working Principles of CH 3 NH 3 PbX 3 Perovskite Solar Cells journal January 2014
Why Lead Methylammonium Tri-Iodide Perovskite-Based Solar Cells Require a Mesoporous Electron Transporting Scaffold (but Not Necessarily a Hole Conductor) journal January 2014
Solvent Annealing of Perovskite-Induced Crystal Growth for Photovoltaic-Device Efficiency Enhancement journal August 2014
Unique Properties of Halide Perovskites as Possible Origins of the Superior Solar Cell Performance journal May 2014
Relativistic quasiparticle self-consistent electronic structure of hybrid halide perovskite photovoltaic absorbers journal April 2014
Electron-hole diffusion lengths > 175 μm in solution-grown CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 single crystals journal January 2015
Nonadiabatic Dynamics of Charge Transfer and Singlet Fission at the Pentacene/C 60 Interface journal January 2014
Semiconducting Tin and Lead Iodide Perovskites with Organic Cations: Phase Transitions, High Mobilities, and Near-Infrared Photoluminescent Properties journal July 2013
Quantum decoherence in mixed quantum‐classical systems: Nonadiabatic processes journal November 1995
Advanced Capabilities of the PYXAID Program: Integration Schemes, Decoherence Effects, Multiexcitonic States, and Field-Matter Interaction journal January 2014
Hybrid Halide Perovskite Solar Cell Precursors: Colloidal Chemistry and Coordination Engineering behind Device Processing for High Efficiency journal March 2015
Dopants Control Electron–Hole Recombination at Perovskite–TiO 2 Interfaces: Ab Initio Time-Domain Study journal October 2015
Enhanced Carrier Lifetimes of Pure Iodide Hybrid Perovskite via Vapor-Equilibrated Re-Growth (VERG) journal June 2015
High-efficiency solution-processed perovskite solar cells with millimeter-scale grains journal January 2015
First-Principles Modeling of Mixed Halide Organometal Perovskites for Photovoltaic Applications journal July 2013
Nanowires of Methylammonium Lead Iodide (CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 ) Prepared by Low Temperature Solution-Mediated Crystallization journal November 2014
Spatial and temporal imaging of long-range charge transport in perovskite thin films by ultrafast microscopy journal June 2015
The Raman Spectrum of the CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 Hybrid Perovskite: Interplay of Theory and Experiment journal December 2013
Wireless Solar Water Splitting Device with Robust Cobalt-Catalyzed, Dual-Doped BiVO 4 Photoanode and Perovskite Solar Cell in Tandem: A Dual Absorber Artificial Leaf journal October 2015
Impact of Processing Temperature and Composition on the Formation of Methylammonium Lead Iodide Perovskites journal June 2015
Asymmetry in the Electron and Hole Transfer at a Polymer–Carbon Nanotube Heterojunction journal May 2014
Compact Layer Free Perovskite Solar Cells with 13.5% Efficiency journal November 2014
Time-Domain ab Initio Study of Auger and Phonon-Assisted Auger Processes in a Semiconductor Quantum Dot journal April 2011
Quantum Anti-Zeno Acceleration of a Chemical Reaction journal November 2000
Growth and Anion Exchange Conversion of CH 3 NH 3 PbX 3 Nanorod Arrays for Light-Emitting Diodes journal July 2015
Enhanced Photovoltaic Performance of CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 Perovskite Solar Cells through Interfacial Engineering Using Self-Assembling Monolayer journal February 2015
Impact of microstructure on local carrier lifetime in perovskite solar cells journal April 2015
All Solution-Processed Lead Halide Perovskite-BiVO 4 Tandem Assembly for Photolytic Solar Fuels Production journal January 2015
Efficient iterative schemes for ab initio total-energy calculations using a plane-wave basis set journal October 1996
Dual nature of the excited state in organic–inorganic lead halide perovskites journal January 2015
Time-Domain Ab Initio Analysis of Excitation Dynamics in a Quantum Dot/Polymer Hybrid: Atomistic Description Rationalizes Experiment journal June 2015
Chlorine Doping Reduces Electron–Hole Recombination in Lead Iodide Perovskites: Time-Domain Ab Initio Analysis journal October 2015
Room-Temperature Near-Infrared High-Q Perovskite Whispering-Gallery Planar Nanolasers journal September 2014
Quantum Zeno Effect Rationalizes the Phonon Bottleneck in Semiconductor Quantum Dots journal May 2013
Electron-Hole Diffusion Lengths Exceeding 1 Micrometer in an Organometal Trihalide Perovskite Absorber journal October 2013
Long-Range Balanced Electron- and Hole-Transport Lengths in Organic-Inorganic CH3NH3PbI3 journal October 2013
What Makes the Photocatalytic CO 2 Reduction on N-Doped Ta 2 O 5 Efficient: Insights from Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics journal August 2015
The dynamics of methylammonium ions in hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells journal May 2015
Integrated Perovskite/Bulk-Heterojunction toward Efficient Solar Cells journal December 2014
Efficient Hybrid Solar Cells Based on Meso-Superstructured Organometal Halide Perovskites journal October 2012
Heterogeneous Charge Carrier Dynamics in Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Materials: Nanoscale Lateral and Depth-Dependent Variation of Recombination Rates in Methylammonium Lead Halide Perovskite Thin Films journal June 2015
Semiempirical GGA-type density functional constructed with a long-range dispersion correction journal January 2006
Comparison of Recombination Dynamics in CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 and CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 Perovskite Films: Influence of Exciton Binding Energy journal November 2015
Importance of Spin–Orbit Coupling in Hybrid Organic/Inorganic Perovskites for Photovoltaic Applications journal August 2013
Compositional engineering of perovskite materials for high-performance solar cells journal January 2015
Quantum decoherence and the isotope effect in condensed phase nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations journal April 1996
Structural and optical properties of methylammonium lead iodide across the tetragonal to cubic phase transition: implications for perovskite solar cells journal January 2016
Molecular dynamics with electronic transitions journal July 1990
Nonadiabatic Dynamics of Positive Charge during Photocatalytic Water Splitting on GaN(10-10) Surface: Charge Localization Governs Splitting Efficiency journal May 2013
Instantaneous Generation of Charge-Separated State on TiO 2 Surface Sensitized with Plasmonic Nanoparticles journal March 2014
Influence of Dissipation on Quantum Coherence journal November 1982
Observation of a hot-phonon bottleneck in lead-iodide perovskites journal October 2015
Real-Time Observation of Organic Cation Reorientation in Methylammonium Lead Iodide Perovskites journal August 2015

Similar Records

Chlorine Doping Reduces Electron–Hole Recombination in Lead Iodide Perovskites: Time-Domain Ab Initio Analysis
Journal Article · Thu Oct 29 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters · OSTI ID:1241916

Pb dimerization greatly accelerates charge losses in MAPbI3: Time-domain ab initio analysis
Journal Article · Mon Feb 10 00:00:00 EST 2020 · Journal of Chemical Physics · OSTI ID:1241916

Do grain boundaries dominate non-radiative recombination in CH3NH3PbI 3 perovskite thin films?
Journal Article · Fri Jan 13 00:00:00 EST 2017 · Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. PCCP · OSTI ID:1241916