Perovskite superlattices with efficient carrier dynamics.
Yusheng LeiYuheng LiChengchangfeng LuQizhang YanYilei WuFinn BabbeHuaxin GongSong ZhangJiayun ZhouRuotao WangRuiqi ZhangYimu ChenHsinhan TsaiYue GuHongjie HuYu-Hwa LoWanyi NieTaeyoon LeeJian LuoKesong YangKyung-In JangSheng XuPublished in: Nature (2022)
Compared with their three-dimensional (3D) counterparts, low-dimensional metal halide perovskites (2D and quasi-2D; B 2 A n-1 M n X 3n+1 , such as B = R-NH 3 + , A = HC(NH 2 ) 2 + , Cs + ; M = Pb 2+ , Sn 2+ ; X = Cl - , Br - , I - ) with periodic inorganic-organic structures have shown promising stability and hysteresis-free electrical performance 1-6 . However, their unique multiple-quantum-well structure limits the device efficiencies because of the grain boundaries and randomly oriented quantum wells in polycrystals 7 . In single crystals, the carrier transport through the thickness direction is hindered by the layered insulating organic spacers 8 . Furthermore, the strong quantum confinement from the organic spacers limits the generation and transport of free carriers 9,10 . Also, lead-free metal halide perovskites have been developed but their device performance is limited by their low crystallinity and structural instability 11 . Here we report a low-dimensional metal halide perovskite BA 2 MA n-1 Sn n I 3n+1 (BA, butylammonium; MA, methylammonium; n = 1, 3, 5) superlattice by chemical epitaxy. The inorganic slabs are aligned vertical to the substrate and interconnected in a criss-cross 2D network parallel to the substrate, leading to efficient carrier transport in three dimensions. A lattice-mismatched substrate compresses the organic spacers, which weakens the quantum confinement. The performance of a superlattice solar cell has been certified under the quasi-steady state, showing a stable 12.36% photoelectric conversion efficiency. Moreover, an intraband exciton relaxation process may have yielded an unusually high open-circuit voltage (V OC ).