Center for Functional Nanomaterials Seminar

Solution-processed thin-film perovskite solar cells (PSCs), where the record efficiency has rocketed from ~4% to ~23% — comparable to commercial silicon-based solar cells — in just nine years, offer unprecedented promise of low-cost, high-efficiency renewable electricity generation. Organic-inorganic halide perovskites (OIHPs) at the heart of PSCs have unique structures, which entail rotating organic cations inside inorganic cages, imparting them with desirable optical and electronic properties. To exploit these properties for PSCs application, the reliable deposition of high-quality OIHP thin films over large areas is critically important. The microstructures and grain-boundary networks in the resulting polycrystalline OIHP thin films are equally important as they control the PSC performance and stability. Fundamental phenomena pertaining to synthesis, crystallization, coarsening, and microstructural evolution involved in the processing of OIHP thin films for PSCs will be discussed with specific examples. Additionally, the discovery of Pb-free, Ti-based all-inorganic halide perovskites will be presented, together with the demonstration of viable PSCs based on these new halide perovskites. The overall goal of our research is to have deterministic control over scalable processing of tailored halide perovskite thin films with desired compositions, microstructures, and grain-boundary networks for large-area, high-efficiency, and stable PSCs.