Structure of methylammonium lead iodide within mesoporous titanium dioxide: active material in high-performance perovskite solar cells

Joshua J Choi; Xiaohao Yang; Zachariah M Norman; Simon J L Billinge; Jonathan S Owen

doi:10.1021/nl403514x

Structure of methylammonium lead iodide within mesoporous titanium dioxide: active material in high-performance perovskite solar cells

Nano Lett. 2014 Jan 8;14(1):127-33. doi: 10.1021/nl403514x. Epub 2013 Dec 3.

Authors

Joshua J Choi¹, Xiaohao Yang, Zachariah M Norman, Simon J L Billinge, Jonathan S Owen

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry and ‡Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University , New York, New York 10027, United States.

PMID: 24266720
DOI: 10.1021/nl403514x

Abstract

We report the structure of methylammonium lead(II) iodide perovskite in mesoporous TiO2, as used in high-performance solar cells. Pair distribution function analysis of X-ray scattering reveals a two component nanostructure: one component with medium range crystalline order (30 atom %) and another with only local structural coherence (70 atom %). The nanostructuring correlates with a blueshift of the absorption onset and increases the photoluminescence. Our findings underscore the importance of fully characterizing and controlling the structure for improved solar cell efficiency.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.