Scaling law for excitons in 2D perovskite quantum wells.

Ruddlesden-Popper halide perovskites are 2D solution-processed quantum wells with a general formula A2A'n-1M n X3n+1, where optoelectronic properties can be tuned by varying the perovskite layer thickness (n-value), and have recently emerged as efficient semiconductors with technologically relevant stability. However, fundamental questions concerning the nature of optical resonances (excitons or free carriers) and the exciton reduced mass, and their scaling with quantum well thickness, which are critical for designing efficient optoelectronic devices, remain unresolved. Here, using optical spectroscopy and 60-Tesla magneto-absorption supported by modeling, we unambiguously demonstrate that the optical resonances arise from tightly bound excitons with both exciton reduced masses and binding energies decreasing, respectively, from 0.221 m0 to 0.186 m0 and from 470 meV to 125 meV with increasing thickness from n equals 1 to 5. Based on this study we propose a general scaling law to determine the binding energy of excitons in perovskite quantum wells of any layer thickness.

Extremely efficient internal exciton dissociation through edge states in layered 2D perovskites.

Understanding and controlling charge and energy flow in state-of-the-art semiconductor quantum wells has enabled high-efficiency optoelectronic devices. Two-dimensional (2D) Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites are solution-processed quantum wells wherein the band gap can be tuned by varying the perovskite-layer thickness, which modulates the effective electron-hole confinement. We report that, counterintuitive to classical quantum-confined systems where photogenerated electrons and holes are strongly bound by Coulomb interactions or excitons, the photophysics of thin films made of Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites with a thickness exceeding two perovskite-crystal units (>1.3 nanometers) is dominated by lower-energy states associated with the local intrinsic electronic structure of the edges of the perovskite layers. These states provide a direct pathway for dissociating excitons into longer-lived free carriers that substantially improve the performance of optoelectronic devices.

Thermal and near-infrared light induced spin crossover in a mononuclear iron(ii) complex with a tetrathiafulvalene-fused dipyridophenazine ligand.

A mononuclear Fe(ii) complex involving a tetrathiafulvalene-based ligand exhibits thermal spin-crossover (around 143 K) with pronounced hysteresis behaviour (48 K). The chromophoric and π-extended ligand allows Near-Infrared (NIR) sensitization for the light-induced excited spin-state trapping (LIESST) with T(LIESST) = 90 K.

Energetics and stability of dangling-bond silicon wires on H passivated Si(100).

We evaluate the electronic, geometric and energetic properties of quasi 1D wires formed by dangling-bonds on Si(100)-H(2 × 1). The calculations are performed with density functional theory (DFT). Infinite wires are found to be insulating and Peierls distorted, however finite wires develop localized electronic states that can be of great use for atomic scale devices. The ground state solution of finite wires does not correspond to a geometrical distortion but rather to an antiferromagnetic ordering. For the stability of wires, the presence of abundant H atoms in nearby Si atoms can be a problem. We have evaluated the energy barriers for intradimer and intrarow diffusion, finding all of them about 1 eV or larger, even in the case where a H impurity is already sitting on the wire. These results are encouraging for using dangling-bond wires in future devices.