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

Title: Ferroelectric and Charge Transport Properties in Strain-Engineered Two-Dimensional Lead Iodide Perovskites

Journal Article · · Chemistry of Materials

Transitions from three-dimensional (3D) hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite (HOIP) structures to lower dimensions including 2D and quasi-2D structures open a new range of functional properties in these materials systems. Yet, the performance of solar cells made from 2D HOIP is below that of the 3D compositions due to the higher band-gap energy, low carrier concentration, and anisotropy in charge transport. Controlling ferroelectricity in 2D HOIPs is considered to be a powerful strategy to drive the spatial separation of photogenerated charge carriers to improve the photovoltaic action in this class of HOIPs. Here, we explore the strain-dependent ferroelectricity and charge carrier properties in strain-engineered 2D-layered HOIPs utilizing advanced scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques. Band excitation-piezoresponse force microscopy (BE-PFM) and contact Kelvin probe force microscopy (cKPFM) reveal ferroelectric domains and switchable dynamics with significantly low switching voltages in the low-strain film. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy shows strain-dependent optical properties and a noncentrosymmetric structure with strong second-harmonic generation (SHG) peaks in the low-strain film. In addition, KPFM results demonstrate a higher surface potential in the low-strain films, while the photovoltage and local current are the highest on the high-strain film. Furthermore, our study demonstrates the critical role of strain engineering on the electromechanical and charge carrier dynamics in 2D HOIPs, which is important for development of 2D HOIP devices.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1817383
Journal Information:
Chemistry of Materials, Vol. 33, Issue 11; ISSN 0897-4756
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (80)

Differentiating Ferroelectric and Nonferroelectric Electromechanical Effects with Scanning Probe Microscopy journal May 2015
Ultralow Self-Doping in Two-dimensional Hybrid Perovskite Single Crystals journal June 2017
X-ray line broadening from filed aluminium and wolfram journal January 1953
Physical aspects of ferroelectric semiconductors for photovoltaic solar energy conversion journal October 2016
Grain-size effects on the ferroelectric behavior of dense nanocrystalline BaTiO 3 ceramics journal July 2004
Two-Dimensional Layered Perovskite Ferroelectric with Giant Piezoelectric Voltage Coefficient journal December 2019
Ligand-Stabilized Reduced-Dimensionality Perovskites journal February 2016
Two-Dimensional Hybrid Perovskite-Type Ferroelectric for Highly Polarization-Sensitive Shortwave Photodetection journal January 2019
Reversible photo-induced trap formation in mixed-halide hybrid perovskites for photovoltaics journal January 2015
Critical Role of Grain Boundaries for Ion Migration in Formamidinium and Methylammonium Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cells journal May 2016
Bandgap tuning of multiferroic oxide solar cells journal November 2014
Nanoscale mapping of oxygen vacancy kinetics in nanocrystalline Samarium doped ceria thin films journal October 2013
Role of domain walls in the abnormal photovoltaic effect in BiFeO3 journal November 2013
Ferroelectricity and Rashba Effect in a Two-Dimensional Dion-Jacobson Hybrid Organic–Inorganic Perovskite journal September 2019
Gap-state engineering of visible-light-active ferroelectrics for photovoltaic applications journal August 2017
2D Hybrid Perovskite Ferroelectric Enables Highly Sensitive X‐Ray Detection with Low Driving Voltage journal November 2019
Crystallographic Investigations into Properties of Acentric Hybrid Perovskite Single Crystals NH(CH 3 ) 3 SnX 3 (X = Cl, Br) journal September 2016
Optical second-harmonic generation in thin film systems
  • Gielis, J. J. H.; Gevers, P. M.; Aarts, I. M. P.
  • Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, Vol. 26, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1116/1.2990854
journal November 2008
High-Pressure Single-Crystal Structures of 3D Lead-Halide Hybrid Perovskites and Pressure Effects on their Electronic and Optical Properties journal April 2016
Spatially Resolved Mapping of Oxygen Reduction/Evolution Reaction on Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell Cathodes with Sub-10 nm Resolution journal April 2013
Electric Field- and Strain-Induced Rashba Effect in Hybrid Halide Perovskites journal September 2016
Ferroelectricity in Strain-Free SrTiO 3 Thin Films journal May 2010
Massive band gap variation in layered oxides through cation ordering journal January 2015
Light- and bias-induced structural variations in metal halide perovskites journal January 2019
Highly sensitive X-ray detector made of layered perovskite-like (NH4)3Bi2I9 single crystal with anisotropic response journal June 2019
Two-Photon Absorption in Organometallic Bromide Perovskites journal July 2015
Semiconductor Nanocrystals: Structure, Properties, and Band Gap Engineering journal February 2010
Importance of tailoring lattice strain in halide perovskite crystals journal December 2020
Evolution of structural distortion in BiFeO3 thin films probed by second-harmonic generation journal December 2016
Switchable Induced Polarization in LaAlO 3 /SrTiO 3 Heterostructures journal January 2012
Switchable Ferroelectric Diode and Photovoltaic Effect in BiFeO 3 journal February 2009
High-efficiency two-dimensional Ruddlesden–Popper perovskite solar cells journal July 2016
Improved Phase Stability of Formamidinium Lead Triiodide Perovskite by Strain Relaxation journal October 2016
Ferroelectric or non-ferroelectric: Why so many materials exhibit “ferroelectricity” on the nanoscale journal June 2017
Charge-Carrier Dynamics in 2D Hybrid Metal–Halide Perovskites journal October 2016
2D Homologous Perovskites as Light-Absorbing Materials for Solar Cell Applications journal June 2015
Dielectric and ferroic properties of metal halide perovskites journal January 2019
Ferroionic states in ferroelectric thin films journal May 2017
The band excitation method in scanning probe microscopy for rapid mapping of energy dissipation on the nanoscale journal September 2007
Exploring Anomalous Polarization Dynamics in Organometallic Halide Perovskites journal January 2018
Vortex Domain Structure in Ferroelectric Nanoplatelets and Control of its Transformation by Mechanical Load journal November 2012
Bulk characterization methods for non-centrosymmetric materials: second-harmonic generation, piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity, and ferroelectricity journal January 2006
Two-Dimensional Organic–Inorganic Perovskite Ferroelectric Semiconductors with Fluorinated Aromatic Spacers journal October 2019
Effect of Cation Rotation on Charge Dynamics in Hybrid Lead Halide Perovskites journal July 2016
Exciton diffusion in two-dimensional metal-halide perovskites journal April 2020
One-Year stable perovskite solar cells by 2D/3D interface engineering journal June 2017
Variable temperature electrochemical strain microscopy of Sm-doped ceria journal March 2013
Discerning the Surface and Bulk Recombination Kinetics of Organic-Inorganic Halide Perovskite Single Crystals journal May 2016
Band excitation in scanning probe microscopy: sines of change journal November 2011
Ferroelectric Poling of Methylammonium Lead Iodide Thin Films journal November 2019
Strain-Induced Ferroelectricity in Simple Rocksalt Binary Oxides journal January 2010
Mixed electrochemical–ferroelectric states in nanoscale ferroelectrics journal May 2017
Performance-limiting nanoscale trap clusters at grain junctions in halide perovskites journal April 2020
Lattice strain causes non-radiative losses in halide perovskites journal January 2019
Solvated Electrons in Solids—Ferroelectric Large Polarons in Lead Halide Perovskites journal December 2020
Perovskite energy funnels for efficient light-emitting diodes journal June 2016
Perovskites for Next-Generation Optical Sources journal April 2019
Electron-Hole Diffusion Lengths Exceeding 1 Micrometer in an Organometal Trihalide Perovskite Absorber journal October 2013
From bulk to molecularly thin hybrid perovskites journal March 2020
Rapid multidimensional data acquisition in scanning probe microscopy applied to local polarization dynamics and voltage dependent contact mechanics journal September 2008
Chemical nature of ferroelastic twin domains in CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite journal August 2018
Stable Light-Emitting Diodes Using Phase-Pure Ruddlesden-Popper Layered Perovskites journal January 2018
Observation of Vortex Domains in a Two-Dimensional Lead Iodide Perovskite Ferroelectric journal February 2020
Piezoresponse force microscopy and recent advances in nanoscale studies of ferroelectrics journal January 2006
Band Excitation in Scanning Probe Microscopy: Recognition and Functional Imaging journal April 2014
Uniform Permutation of Quasi-2D Perovskites by Vacuum Poling for Efficient, High-Fill-Factor Solar Cells journal December 2019
Persistent Spin-texture and Ferroelectric Polarization in 2D Hybrid Perovskite Benzylammonium Lead-halide journal April 2020
Nanoscale Visualization and Control of Ferroelectric Domains by Atomic Force Microscopy journal May 1995
Layer-Dependent Nonlinear Optical Properties and Stability of Non-Centrosymmetric Modification in Few-Layer GaSe Sheets journal December 2014
Piezoresponse of ferroelectric films in ferroionic states: Time and voltage dynamics journal May 2017
Nanoscale Probing of Voltage Activated Oxygen Reduction/Evolution Reactions in Nanopatterned (La x Sr 1- x )CoO 3- δ Cathodes journal March 2013
Ferroelectric large polarons journal April 2018
Strain engineering and epitaxial stabilization of halide perovskites journal January 2020
Nanoscale ferroelectrics: processing, characterization and future trends journal July 2006
Above-bandgap voltages from ferroelectric photovoltaic devices journal January 2010
Probing Surface and Bulk Electrochemical Processes on the LaAlO 3 –SrTiO 3 Interface journal April 2012
Electrochemical strain microscopy: Probing ionic and electrochemical phenomena in solids at the nanometer level journal July 2012
Intrinsic ionic screening of the ferroelectric polarization of KTP revealed by second-harmonic generation microscopy journal December 2015
Strain engineering in perovskite solar cells and its impacts on carrier dynamics journal February 2019
Strain Tuning of Ferroelectric Thin Films journal August 2007