Controlling the helicity of light by electrical magnetization switching.

Controlling the intensity of emitted light and charge current is the basis of transferring and processing information1. By contrast, robust information storage and magnetic random-access memories are implemented using the spin of the carrier and the associated magnetization in ferromagnets2. The missing link between the respective disciplines of photonics, electronics and spintronics is to modulate the circular polarization of the emitted light, rather than its intensity, by electrically controlled magnetization. Here we demonstrate that this missing link is established at room temperature and zero applied magnetic field in light-emitting diodes2-7, through the transfer of angular momentum between photons, electrons and ferromagnets. With spin-orbit torque8-11, a charge current generates also a spin current to electrically switch the magnetization. This switching determines the spin orientation of injected carriers into semiconductors, in which the transfer of angular momentum from the electron spin to photon controls the circular polarization of the emitted light2. The spin-photon conversion with the nonvolatile control of magnetization opens paths to seamlessly integrate information transfer, processing and storage. Our results provide substantial advances towards electrically controlled ultrafast modulation of circular polarization and spin injection with magnetization dynamics for the next-generation information and communication technology12, including space-light data transfer. The same operating principle in scaled-down structures or using two-dimensional materials will enable transformative opportunities for quantum information processing with spin-controlled single-photon sources, as well as for implementing spin-dependent time-resolved spectroscopies.

Room-temperature spin injection across a chiral perovskite/III-V interface.

Spin accumulation in semiconductor structures at room temperature and without magnetic fields is key to enable a broader range of optoelectronic functionality1. Current efforts are limited owing to inherent inefficiencies associated with spin injection across semiconductor interfaces2. Here we demonstrate spin injection across chiral halide perovskite/III-V interfaces achieving spin accumulation in a standard semiconductor III-V (AlxGa1-x)0.5In0.5P multiple quantum well light-emitting diode. The spin accumulation in the multiple quantum well is detected through emission of circularly polarized light with a degree of polarization of up to 15 ± 4%. The chiral perovskite/III-V interface was characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, cross-sectional scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy imaging, showing a clean semiconductor/semiconductor interface at which the Fermi level can equilibrate. These findings demonstrate that chiral perovskite semiconductors can transform well-developed semiconductor platforms into ones that can also control spin.

Surface reaction for efficient and stable inverted perovskite solar cells.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with an inverted structure (often referred to as the p-i-n architecture) are attractive for future commercialization owing to their easily scalable fabrication, reliable operation and compatibility with a wide range of perovskite-based tandem device architectures1,2. However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of p-i-n PSCs falls behind that of n-i-p (or normal) structure counterparts3-6. This large performance gap could undermine efforts to adopt p-i-n architectures, despite their other advantages. Given the remarkable advances in perovskite bulk materials optimization over the past decade, interface engineering has become the most important strategy to push PSC performance to its limit7,8. Here we report a reactive surface engineering approach based on a simple post-growth treatment of 3-(aminomethyl)pyridine (3-APy) on top of a perovskite thin film. First, the 3-APy molecule selectively reacts with surface formamidinium ions, reducing perovskite surface roughness and surface potential fluctuations associated with surface steps and terraces. Second, the reaction product on the perovskite surface decreases the formation energy of charged iodine vacancies, leading to effective n-type doping with a reduced work function in the surface region. With this reactive surface engineering, the resulting p-i-n PSCs obtained a PCE of over 25 per cent, along with retaining 87 per cent of the initial PCE after over 2,400 hours of 1-sun operation at about 55 degrees Celsius in air.

Structural Asymmetry and Chiral-Induced Spin Selectivity in Chiral Palladium-Halide Semiconductors.

Chiral Pb-free metal-halide semiconductors (MHSs) have attracted considerable attention in the field of spintronics due to various interesting spin-related properties and chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. Despite their excellent chemical and structural tunability, the material scope and crystal structure of Pb-free chiral MHSs exhibiting the CISS effect are still limited; chiral MHSs that have metal-halide structures of octahedra and tetrahedra are only reported. Here, we report a new class of chiral MHSs, of which palladium (Pd)-halides are formed in 1D square-pyramidal structures or 0D square-planar structures, with a general formula of ((R/S-MBA)2PdBr4)1-x((R/S-MBA)2PdCl4)x (MBA = methylbenzylammonium; x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1) for the first time. The crystals adopt the 1D helical chain of Pd-halide square-pyramid (for x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75) and 0D structure of Pd-halide square-plane (for x = 1). All the Pd-halides are distorted by the interaction between the halide and the chiral organic ammonium and arranged in a noncentrosymmetric position. Circular dichroism (CD) for ((R/S-MBA)2PdBr4)1-x((R/S-MBA)2PdCl4)x indicates that chirality was transferred from chiral organic ammonium to Pd-halide inorganics. ((R-MBA)2PdBr4)1-x((R-MBA)2PdCl4)x (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75) shows a distortion index of 0.127-0.128, which is the highest value among the previously reported chiral MHSs to the best of our knowledge. We also find that (R/S-MBA)2Pd(Br1-xClx)4 crystals grow along the out-of-plane direction during spin coating and have high c-axis orientation and crystallinity, and (R/S-MBA)2Pd(Br1-xClx)4 (x = 0 and 0.5) crystals exhibit a CISS effect in polycrystalline bulk films. These results demonstrate the possibility of a new metal-halide series with square-planar structures or square-pyramidal structures for future spintronic applications.

Superfluorescence from Electron-Hole Plasma at Moderate Temperatures of 175 K.

Superfluorescence, a cooperative coherent spontaneous emission, is of great importance to the understanding of many-body correlation in optical processes. Even though superfluorescence has been demonstrated in many diverse systems, it is hard to observe in electron-hole plasma (EHP) due to its rapid dephasing and hence needs strong magnetic fields or complex microcavities. Herein, we report the first experimental observation of superfluorescence from EHP up to a moderate temperature of 175 K without external stimuli in a coupled metal halide perovskite quantum dots film. The EHP exhibits macroscopic quantum coherence through spontaneous synchronization. The coherence of the excited state decays by superfluorescence, which is redshifted 40 meV from the spontaneous emission with a ∼1700 times faster decay rate and exhibits quadratic fluence dependence. Notably, the excited state population's delayed growth and abrupt decay, which are strongly influenced by the pump fluence and the Burnham-Chiao ringing, are the characteristics of the superfluorescence. Our findings will open up a new frontier for cooperative emission and light beam-based technologies.

Metal Halide Perovskite Heterostructures: Blocking Anion Diffusion with Single-Layer Graphene.

The development of metal halide perovskite/perovskite heterostructures is hindered by rapid interfacial halide diffusion leading to mixed alloys rather than sharp interfaces. To circumvent this outcome, we developed an ion-blocking layer consisting of single-layer graphene (SLG) deposited between the metal halide perovskite layers and demonstrated that it effectively blocks anion diffusion in a CsPbBr3/SLG/CsPbI3 heterostructure. Spatially resolved elemental analysis and spectroscopic measurements demonstrate the halides do not diffuse across the interface, whereas control samples without the SLG show rapid homogenization of the halides and loss of the sharp interface. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, DFT calculations, and transient absorbance spectroscopy indicate the SLG has little electronic impact on the individual semiconductors. In the CsPbBr3/SLG/CsPbI3, we find a type I band alignment that supports transfer of photogenerated carriers across the heterointerface. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) show electroluminescence from both the CsPbBr3 and CsPbI3 layers with no evidence of ion diffusion during operation. Our approach provides opportunities to design novel all-perovskite heterostructures to facilitate the control of charge and light in optoelectronic applications.

Dye-Sensitized Multiple Exciton Generation in Lead Sulfide Quantum Dots.

Multiple exciton generation (MEG), the generation of multiple excitons from the absorption of a single high-energy photon, is a strategy to go beyond the limiting efficiencies that define current-day solar cells by harvesting some of the thermalization energy losses that occur when photons with an energy greater than the semiconductor bandgap are absorbed. In this work, we show that organic dyes can sensitize MEG in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). In particular, we found that surface-anchored pyrene ligands enhanced the photon-to-charge carrier quantum yield of PbS QDs from 113 ± 3% to 183 ± 7% when the photon energy was 3.9 times the band gap. A wavelength dependence study shows that the enhancement is positively correlated with the pyrene absorptivity. Transient absorption and steady-state photoluminescence measurements suggest that the MEG sensitization is based on an initial fast electron transfer from the pyrene ligands to the PbS QDs producing hot-electrons in the QDs that subsequently undergo MEG. This work demonstrates that hybrid and synergistic organic/inorganic interactions can be a successful strategy to enhance MEG.

Perovskite Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction or Photoredox Organic Transformation?

Metal-halide perovskites have been explored as photocatalysts for CO2 reduction. We report that perovskite photocatalytic CO2 reduction in organic solvents is likely problematic. Instead, the detected products (i.e., CO) likely result from a photoredox organic transformation involving the solvent. Our observations have been validated using isotopic labeling experiments, band energy analysis, and new control experiments. We designed a typical perovskite photocatalytic setup in organic solvents that led to CO production of up to ≈1000 µmol g-1 h-1 . CO2 reduction in organic solvents must be studied with extra care because photoredox organic transformations can produce orders of magnitude higher rate of CO or CH4 than is typical for CO2 reduction routes. Though CO2 reduction is not likely to occur, in situ CO generation is extremely fast. Hence a suitable system can be established for challenging organic reactions that use CO as a feedstock but exploit the solvent as a CO surrogate.

Tuning Spin-Polarized Lifetime in Two-Dimensional Metal-Halide Perovskite through Exciton Binding Energy.

Metal-halide perovskite semiconductors have attracted attention for opto-spintronic applications where the manipulation of charge and spin degrees of freedom have the potential to lower power consumption and achieve faster switching times for electronic devices. Lower-dimensional perovskites are of particular interest since the lower degree of symmetry of the metal-halide connected octahedra and the large spin-orbit coupling can potentially lift the spin degeneracy. To achieve their full application potential, long spin-polarized lifetimes and an understanding of spin-relaxation in these systems are needed. Here, we report an intriguing spin-selective excitation of excitons in a series of 2D lead iodide perovskite (n = 1) single crystals by using time- and polarization-resolved transient reflection spectroscopy. Exciton spin relaxation times as long as ∼26 ps at low excitation densities and at room temperature were achieved for a system with small binding energy, 2D EOA2PbI4 (EOA = ethanolamine). By tuning the excitation density and the exciton binding energy, we identify the dominant mechanism as the D'yakonov-Perel (DP) mechanism at low exciton densities and the Bir-Aronov-Pikus (BAP) mechanism at high excitation densities. Together, these results provide new design principles to achieve long spin lifetimes in metal-halide perovskite semiconductors.

Influence of Ligand Structure on Excited State Surface Chemistry of Lead Sulfide Quantum Dots.

The ligand-nanocrystal boundaries of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) mediate the primary energy and electron transfer processes that underpin photochemical and photocatalytic transformations at their surfaces. We use mid-infrared transient absorption spectroscopy to reveal the influence that ligand structure and bonding to nanocrystal surfaces have on the changes of the excited state surface chemistry of this boundary in PbS QDs and the corresponding impact on charge transfer processes between nanocrystals. We demonstrate that oleate ligands undergo marked changes in their bonding to surfaces in the excitonic excited states of the nanocrystals, indicating that oleate passivated PbS surfaces undergo significant structural changes following photoexcitation. These changes can impact the surface mobility of the ligands and the ability of redox shuttles to approach the nanocrystal surfaces to undergo charge transfer in photocatalytic reactions. In contrast, markedly different transient vibrational features are observed in iodide/mercaptoproprionic acid passivated PbS QD films that result from charge transfer between neighboring nanocrystals and localization of holes at the nanocrystal surfaces near MPA ligands. This ability to distinguish the influence that excitonic excited states vs charge transfer processes have on the surface chemistry of the ligand-nanocrystal boundary lays the groundwork for exploration of how this boundary can be understood and controlled for the design of nanocrystalline materials tailored for specific applications in solar energy harvesting and photocatalytic reactions.

A Nanocrystal Catalyst Incorporating a Surface Bound Transition Metal to Induce Photocatalytic Sequential Electron Transfer Events.

Heterogeneous photocatalysis is less common but can provide unique avenues for inducing novel chemical transformations and can also be utilized for energy transductions, i.e., the energy in the photons can be captured in chemical bonds. Here, we developed a novel heterogeneous photocatalytic system that employs a lead-halide perovskite nanocrystal (NC) to capture photons and direct photogenerated holes to a surface bound transition metal Cu-site, resulting in a N-N heterocyclization reaction. The reaction starts from surface coordinated diamine substrates and requires two subsequent photo-oxidation events per reaction cycle. We establish a photocatalytic pathway that incorporates sequential inner sphere electron transfer events, photons absorbed by the NC generate holes that are sequentially funneled to the Cu-surface site to perform the reaction. The photocatalyst is readily prepared via a controlled cation-exchange reaction and provides new opportunities in photodriven heterogeneous catalysis.

Highly Distorted Chiral Two-Dimensional Tin Iodide Perovskites for Spin Polarized Charge Transport.

Incorporating chiral organic molecules into organic/inorganic hybrid 2D metal-halide perovskites results in a novel family of chiral hybrid semiconductors with unique spin-dependent properties. The embedded chiral organic moieties induce a chiroptical response from the inorganic metal-halide sublattice. However, the structural interplay between the chiral organic molecules and the inorganic sublattice, as well as their synergic effect on the resulting electronic band structure need to be explored in a broader material scope. Here we present three new layered tin iodide perovskites templated by chiral (R/S-)methylbenzylammonium (R/S-MBA), i.e., (R-/S-MBA)2SnI4, and their racemic phase (rac-MBA)2SnI4. These MBA2SnI4 compounds exhibit the largest level of octahedral bond distortion compared to any other reported layered tin iodide perovskite. The incorporation of chiral MBA cations leads to circularly polarized absorption from the inorganic Sn-I sublattice, displaying chiroptical activity in the 300-500 nm wavelength range. The bandgap and chiroptical activity are modulated by alloying Sn with Pb, in the series of (MBA)2Pb1-xSnxI4. Finally, we show that vertical charge transport through oriented (R-/S-MBA)2SnI4 thin films is highly spin-dependent, arising from a chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. We demonstrate a spin-polarization in the current-voltage characteristics as high as 94%. Our work shows the tremendous potential of these chiral hybrid semiconductors for controlling both spin and charge degrees of freedom.

Hot-carrier transfer at photocatalytic silicon/platinum interfaces.

Interfacial charge transfer from silicon to heterogeneous catalysts plays a key role in silicon-based photoelectrochemical systems. In general, prior to interfacial charge transfer, carriers that are generated by photons with energies above the bandgap dissipate the excess kinetic energy via hot-carrier cooling, and such energy loss limits the maximum power conversion efficiency. The excess energy of hot-carriers, however, could be utilized through hot-carrier transfer from silicon to the catalysts, but such hot-carrier extraction has not yet been demonstrated. Here, we exploit transient reflection spectroscopy to interrogate charge transfer at the interface between silicon and platinum. Quantitative modeling of the surface carrier kinetics indicates that the velocity of charge transfer from silicon to platinum exceeds 2.6 × 107 cm s-1, corresponding to an average carrier temperature of extracted carriers of ∼600 K, two times higher than the lattice temperature. The charge transfer velocity can be controllably reduced by inserting silica spacing layers between silicon and platinum.

Lead-Halide Perovskites for Photocatalytic α-Alkylation of Aldehydes.

Cost-effective and efficient photocatalysis are highly desirable in chemical synthesis. Here we demonstrate that readily prepared suspensions of APbBr3 (A = Cs or methylammonium (MA)) type perovskite colloids (ca. 2-100 nm) can selectively photocatalyze carbon-carbon bond formation reactions, i.e., α-alkylations. Specifically, we demonstrate α-alkylation of aldehydes with a turnover number (TON) of over 52,000 under visible light illumination. Hybrid organic/inorganic perovskites are revolutionizing photovoltaic research and are now impacting other research fields, but their exploration in organic synthesis is rare. Our low-cost, easy-to-process, highly efficient and bandedge-tunable perovskite photocatalyst is expected to bring new insights in chemical synthesis.

Atomically Thin Metal Sulfides.

We developed a method to colloidally synthesize atomically thin metal sulfides (ATMS). Unlike conventional 2D systems such as MoS2 and graphene, none of the systems developed here are inherently layered compounds nor have known layered polymorphs in their bulk forms. The synthesis proceeds via a cation-exchange reaction starting from single- and multi-layer Ag2S and going to various metal sulfides. The synthesized ATMS retain their size and shape during the cation-exchange reaction and are either single-layer or a few-layer, depending on the starting Ag2S samples. They have lateral dimensions on the order of 5-10 nm and are colloidally stabilized by Z- and L-type ligands. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of single-layer and a few-layer ZnS, CdS, CoS2, and PbS. We find that the optical properties of these ATMS are quite distinct from the platelet or quantum-dot versions of the same metal sulfides.

Sensitizing Singlet Fission with Perovskite Nanocrystals.

The marriage of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals and functional organic molecules has brought unique opportunities in emerging photonic and optoelectronic applications. Traditional semiconductor nanocrystals have been widely demonstrated to initiate efficient triplet energy transfer at the nanocrystal-acene interface. Herein, we report that unlike conventional semiconductor nanocrystals, lead halide perovskite nanocrystals promote an efficient Dexter-like singlet energy transfer to surface-anchored pentacene molecules rather than triplet energy transfer. Subsequently, molecular pentacene triplets are efficiently generated via singlet fission on the nanocrystal surface. Our demonstrated strategy not only unveils the obscure energy dynamics between perovskite nanocrystal and acenes, but also brings important perspectives of utilizing singlet fission throughout the solar spectrum.

Enhanced Charge Transport in 2D Perovskites via Fluorination of Organic Cation.

Organic-inorganic halide perovskites incorporating two-dimensional (2D) structures have shown promise for enhancing the stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the bulky spacer cations often limit charge transport. Here, we report on a simple approach based on molecular design of the organic spacer to improve the transport properties of 2D perovskites, and we use phenethylammonium (PEA) as an example. We demonstrate that by fluorine substitution on the para position in PEA to form 4-fluorophenethylammonium (F-PEA), the average phenyl ring centroid-centroid distances in the organic layer become shorter with better aligned stacking of perovskite sheets. The impact is enhanced orbital interactions and charge transport across adjacent inorganic layers as well as increased carrier lifetime and reduced trap density. Using a simple perovskite deposition at room temperature without using any additives, we obtained a power conversion efficiency of >13% for (F-PEA)2MA4Pb5I16-based PSCs. In addition, the thermal stability of 2D PSCs based on F-PEA is significantly enhanced compared to those based on PEA.

Ultrafast probes at the interfaces of solar energy conversion materials.

Ultrafast carrier dynamics at interfaces plays a major role in governing solar energy conversion efficiency in solar conversion systems, especially in solar cells and photoelectrochemical devices. In this perspective, we discuss recent advances in ultrafast spectroscopic probes to understand the dynamics at such interfaces. Transient reflectance (TR) enables monitoring of the surface carriers that are within ∼10 nm of the surface or interface of interest. Crucial parameters such as surface recombination velocity and carrier diffusion can be determined. When a strong surface or interfacial field is present the reflectance spectrum will exhibit Franz-Kelydesh oscillations. Monitoring the transient formation or decay of such oscillations informs about the interfacial field and is referred to as transient photoreflectance (TPR). Such fields are helpful in designing systems in order to move carriers away from surfaces where photocorrosion can occur and towards catalytic surfaces. Finally, we discuss transient infrared attenuated total reflection (TATR) to probe the ultrafast reaction intermediates in a photo-driven chemical reaction.