Publication Date:
2015-05-29
Description:
Methylammonium lead iodide perovskite can make high-efficiency solar cells, which also show an unexplained photocurrent hysteresis dependent on the device-poling history. Here we report quasielastic neutron scattering measurements showing that dipolar CH3NH3 + ions reorientate between the faces, corners or edges of the pseudo-cubic lattice cages in CH3NH3PbI3 crystals with a room temperature residence time of ∼14 ps. Free rotation, π-flips and ionic diffusion are ruled out within a 1–200-ps time window. Monte Carlo simulations of interacting CH3NH3 + dipoles realigning within a 3D lattice suggest that the scattering measurements may be explained by the stabilization of CH3NH3 + in either antiferroelectric or ferroelectric domains. Collective realignment of CH3NH3 + to screen a device’s built-in potential could reduce photovoltaic performance. However, we estimate the timescale for a domain wall to traverse a typical device to be ∼0.1–1 ms, faster than most observed hysteresis.
Electronic ISSN:
2041-1723
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
Permalink