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

Title: Defect Energetics in Pseudo-Cubic Mixed Halide Lead Perovskites from First-Principles

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry. C

Owing to the increasing popularity of lead-based hybrid perovskites for photovoltaic (PV) applications, it is crucial to understand their defect energetics and its influence on their optoelectronic properties. In this work, we simulate various point defects in pseudocubic structures of mixed iodide-bromide and bromide-chloride methylammonium lead perovskites with the general formula MAPbI3-yBry or MAPbBr3-yCly (where y is between 0 and 3), and use first-principles based density functional theory computations to study their relative formation energies and charge transition levels. We identify vacancy defects and Pb on MA antisite defect as the lowest energy native defects in each perovskite. Here, we observe that while the low energy defects in all MAPbI3-yBry systems only create shallow transition levels, the Br or Cl vacancy defects in the Cl-containing pervoskites have low energy and form deep levels which become deeper for higher Cl content. We examine the structures and density of states of pure and defect-containing perovskite systems to obtain an understanding of the nature of defect levels. Further, we study extrinsic substitution by different elements at the Pb site in MAPbBr3, MAPbCl3, and the 50-50 mixed halide perovskite, MAPbBr1.5Cl1.5, and identify some transition metals that create lower energy defects than the dominant intrinsic defects and also create midgap charge transition levels.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division; USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357; AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1762154
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry. C, Vol. 124, Issue 31; ISSN 1932-7447
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (75)

Defects in Semiconductors: Some Fatal, Some Vital journal August 1998
Defect interactions and the role of complexes in the CdTe solar cell absorber journal January 2017
Identification of Killer Defects in Kesterite Thin-Film Solar Cells journal February 2018
Unusual defect physics in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite solar cell absorber journal February 2014
Unipolar self-doping behavior in perovskite CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 journal March 2015
Point defect engineering in thin-film solar cells journal June 2018
First-Principles Modeling of Defects in Lead Halide Perovskites: Best Practices and Open Issues journal August 2018
Increasing the Efficiency of Ideal Solar Cells by Photon Induced Transitions at Intermediate Levels journal June 1997
Understanding intermediate-band solar cells journal February 2012
Production of Photocurrent due to Intermediate-to-Conduction-Band Transitions: A Demonstration of a Key Operating Principle of the Intermediate-Band Solar Cell journal December 2006
Partially filled intermediate band of Cr-doped GaN films journal May 2012
Ab initio electronic structure calculations for metallic intermediate band formation in photovoltaic materials journal April 2002
Intermediate band solar cells: Recent progress and future directions journal June 2015
Transition metal-substituted lead halide perovskite absorbers journal January 2017
Comprehensive Computational Study of Partial Lead Substitution in Methylammonium Lead Bromide journal March 2019
Charge Transfer Dynamics of Phase-Segregated Halide Perovskites: CH 3 NH 3 PbCl 3 and CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 or (C 4 H 9 NH 3 ) 2 (CH 3 NH 3 ) n −1 Pb n I 3 n +1 Mixtures journal February 2019
Laplace current deep level transient spectroscopy measurements of defect states in methylammonium lead bromide single crystals journal October 2017
Fully Ab Initio Finite-Size Corrections for Charged-Defect Supercell Calculations journal January 2009
First-principles calculations for point defects in solids journal March 2014
Organometal Halide Perovskites as Visible-Light Sensitizers for Photovoltaic Cells journal May 2009
6.5% efficient perovskite quantum-dot-sensitized solar cell journal January 2011
Synthesis and crystal chemistry of the hybrid perovskite (CH3NH3)PbI3 for solid-state sensitised solar cell applications journal January 2013
Recent theoretical progress in the development of perovskite photovoltaic materials journal May 2018
Hybrid organic—inorganic perovskites: low-cost semiconductors with intriguing charge-transport properties journal January 2016
Metal halide perovskite: a game-changer for photovoltaics and solar devices via a tandem design journal January 2018
Intriguing Optoelectronic Properties of Metal Halide Perovskites journal June 2016
Advances and challenges to the commercialization of organic–inorganic halide perovskite solar cell technology journal March 2018
Elucidating the Methylammonium (MA) Conformation in MAPbBr 3 Perovskite with Application in Solar Cells journal November 2017
Perspective: Theory and simulation of hybrid halide perovskites journal June 2017
A brief review on the lead element substitution in perovskite solar cells journal July 2018
Cation engineering on lead iodide perovskites for stable and high-performance photovoltaic applications journal July 2018
Effect of doping of NaI monovalent cation halide on the structural, morphological, optical and optoelectronic properties of MAPbI3 perovskite journal September 2017
Effect of Rubidium Incorporation on the Structural, Electrical, and Photovoltaic Properties of Methylammonium Lead Iodide-Based Perovskite Solar Cells journal November 2017
Photovoltaic properties of Cu-doped CH3NH3PbI3 with perovskite structure
  • Shirahata, Yasuhiro; Oku, Takeo
  • THE IRAGO CONFERENCE 2016: 360 Degree Outlook on Critical Scientific and Technological Challenges for a Sustainable Society, AIP Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4974790
conference January 2017
Heterovalent B-Site Co-Alloying Approach for Halide Perovskite Bandgap Engineering journal September 2017
Organic Cation Substitution in Hybrid Perovskite CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 with Hydroxylammonium (NH 3 OH + ): A First-Principles Study journal February 2018
Tailoring metal halide perovskites through metal substitution: influence on photovoltaic and material properties journal January 2017
Efficient perovskite solar cells by metal ion doping journal January 2016
Anomalous Band Gap Behavior in Mixed Sn and Pb Perovskites Enables Broadening of Absorption Spectrum in Solar Cells journal May 2014
High performance of mixed halide perovskite solar cells: Role of halogen atom and plasmonic nanoparticles on the ideal current density of cell journal March 2018
Mixed-Halide Perovskites with Stabilized Bandgaps journal October 2017
Optical and electronic properties of mixed halide (X = I, Cl, Br) methylammonium lead perovskite solar cells journal January 2017
Suppressed phase separation of mixed-halide perovskites confined in endotaxial matrices journal February 2019
Impact of microstructure on local carrier lifetime in perovskite solar cells journal April 2015
Reversible photo-induced trap formation in mixed-halide hybrid perovskites for photovoltaics journal January 2015
Defects engineering for high-performance perovskite solar cells journal August 2018
Defect-Assisted Photoinduced Halide Segregation in Mixed-Halide Perovskite Thin Films journal May 2017
Defect Tolerance in Methylammonium Lead Triiodide Perovskite journal July 2016
Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Perovskites (HOIPs): Opportunities and Challenges journal July 2015
Structures, Phase Transitions and Tricritical Behavior of the Hybrid Perovskite Methyl Ammonium Lead Iodide journal October 2016
MAPbI3 and FAPbI3 perovskites as solar cells: Case study on structural, electrical and optical properties journal September 2018
Structural, optical, and electronic studies of wide-bandgap lead halide perovskites journal January 2015
Mixed Iodide–Bromide Methylammonium Lead Perovskite-based Diodes for Light Emission and Photovoltaics journal August 2015
CH 3 NH 3 PbCl 3 Single Crystals: Inverse Temperature Crystallization and Visible-Blind UV-Photodetector journal September 2015
Electronic properties of random alloys: Special quasirandom structures journal November 1990
Special quasirandom structures for perovskite solid solutions journal September 2016
Energy band gaps and lattice parameters evaluated with the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof screened hybrid functional journal November 2005
The GW method journal March 1998
sumo: Command-line tools for plotting and analysis of periodic ab initio calculations journal August 2018
Finite-size supercell correction schemes for charged defect calculations journal July 2012
CoFFEE: Corrections For Formation Energy and Eigenvalues for charged defect simulations journal May 2018
Observation and Mediation of the Presence of Metallic Lead in Organic–Inorganic Perovskite Films journal June 2015
Intrinsic stoichiometry and oxygen-induced p -type conductivity of pyrite FeS 2 journal July 2011
Charge Carriers in Planar and Meso-Structured Organic–Inorganic Perovskites: Mobilities, Lifetimes, and Concentrations of Trap States journal July 2015
The optoelectronic role of chlorine in CH3NH3PbI3(Cl)-based perovskite solar cells journal June 2015
Improved charge carrier lifetime in planar perovskite solar cells by bromine doping journal December 2016
Single-Crystal MAPbI 3 Perovskite Solar Cells Exceeding 21% Power Conversion Efficiency journal May 2019
Charge Carrier Lifetimes Exceeding 15 μs in Methylammonium Lead Iodide Single Crystals journal February 2016
ABX3 Perovskites for Tandem Solar Cells journal December 2017
Blue-Green Color Tunable Solution Processable Organolead Chloride–Bromide Mixed Halide Perovskites for Optoelectronic Applications journal August 2015
Understanding of the formation of shallow level defects from the intrinsic defects of lead tri-halide perovskites journal January 2016
Strong Covalency-Induced Recombination Centers in Perovskite Solar Cell Material CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 journal October 2014
Extending Carrier Lifetimes in Lead Halide Perovskites with Alkali Metals by Passivating and Eliminating Halide Interstitial Defects journal February 2020
Defect Activity in Lead Halide Perovskites journal September 2018
Formability of ABX 3 ( X = F, Cl, Br, I) halide perovskites journal November 2008

Similar Records

Comprehensive Computational Study of Partial Lead Substitution in Methylammonium Lead Bromide
Journal Article · Tue Mar 19 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Chemistry of Materials · OSTI ID:1762154

Accelerated acquisition of wideline solid-state NMR spectra of spin 3/2 nuclei by frequency-stepped indirect detection experiments
Journal Article · Wed Feb 07 00:00:00 EST 2024 · Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. PCCP · OSTI ID:1762154

Direct calorimetric verification of thermodynamic instability of lead halide hybrid perovskites
Journal Article · Tue Jun 28 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · OSTI ID:1762154