ABSTRACT
The challenge faced in optoelectronic applications of halide perovskites is their degradation. Minimizing material imperfections is critical to averting cascade degradation processes. Identifying causes of such imperfections is, however, hindered by mystified growth processes and is particularly urgent for mixed-halide perovskites because of inhomogeneity in growth and phase segregation under stresses. To unravel two-step solution growth of MAPbBr x I3-x , we monitored the evolution of Br composition and found that the construction of perovskite lattice is contributed by iodine from PbI2 substrate and Br from MABr solution with a 1:1 ratio rather than a 2:1 ratio originally thought. Kinetic analysis based on a derived three-stage model extracted activation energies of perovskite construction and anion exchange. This model is applicable to the growth of PbI2 reacting with a mixed solution of MABr and MAI. Two guidelines of fabricating single-phase MAPbBr x I3-x with predictable stoichiometry thus developed help strategizing protocols to reproducibly fabricate mixed-halide perovskite films tailored to specific optoelectronic applications.
ABSTRACT
Bulk heterojunction is one key concept leading to breakthrough in organic photovoltaics. The active layer is expectantly formed of distinct morphologies that carry out their respective roles in photovoltaic performance. The morphology-performance relationship however remains stymied, because unequivocal morphology at the nanoscale is not available. We used scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy operating with a visible light source (visibles-SNOM) to disclose the nanomorphology of P3HT:PCBM and pBCN:PCBM blends. Donor and acceptor domain as well as intermixed phase were identified and their intertwined distributions were mapped. We proposed energy landscapes of the BHJ active layer to shed light on the roles played by these morphologies in charge separation, transport and recombination. This study shows that visibles-SNOM is capable of profiling the morphological backdrop pertaining to the operation of high performance organic solar cells.
ABSTRACT
The photodissociation of CH2XCH2Y (X,Y=Br,Cl) through absorption of 193 nm photons was investigated using product translational spectroscopy. No stable CH2BrCH2 or CH2ClCH2 was detected. The recorded time-of-flight spectra indicate that these internally excited radicals dissociated into Y+C2H4 in a concerted reaction with the first C-X bond rupture. Product anisotropy implies that the overall reaction time for three-body formation is in a fraction of rotational period. According to an asynchronous concerted reaction model, the measured spectra were simulated with product translational energy distributions coupled by asymmetric angular distributions. For the mixed halide, CH2BrCH2Cl, triple products Br+Cl+C2H4 can be originated from the cleavage of either the C-Br bond or the C-Cl bond. The results are discussed and where appropriate, comparisons with previous investigations of the related molecules are included.