Low-Energy Electron-Induced Transformations in Organolead Halide Perovskite

Aleksandar R Milosavljević; Weixin Huang; Subha Sadhu; Sylwia Ptasinska

doi:10.1002/anie.201605013

Low-Energy Electron-Induced Transformations in Organolead Halide Perovskite

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2016 Aug 16;55(34):10083-7. doi: 10.1002/anie.201605013. Epub 2016 Jun 29.

Authors

Aleksandar R Milosavljević^{1

2

3}, Weixin Huang^{4

5}, Subha Sadhu⁴, Sylwia Ptasinska^{4

6}

Affiliations

¹ Radiation Laboratory, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA. milosavljevic@synchrotron-soleil.fr.
² SOLEIL, l'Orme des Merisiers, St. Aubin, BP48, 91192, Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France. milosavljevic@synchrotron-soleil.fr.
³ Institute of Physics Belgrade, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11080, Belgrade, Serbia. milosavljevic@synchrotron-soleil.fr.
⁴ Radiation Laboratory, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
⁵ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
⁶ Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.

PMID: 27355420
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201605013

Abstract

Methylammonium lead iodide perovskite (MAPbI3 ), a prototype material for potentially high-efficient and low-cost organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells, has been investigated intensively in recent years. A study of low-energy electron-induced transformations in MAPbI3 is presented, performed by combining controlled electron-impact irradiation with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Changes were observed in both the elemental composition and the morphology of irradiated MAPbI3 thin films as a function of the electron fluence for incident energies from 4.5 to 60 eV. The results show that low-energy electrons can affect structural and chemical properties of MAPbI3 . It is proposed that the transformations are triggered by the interactions with the organic part of the material (methylammonium), resulting in the MAPbI3 decomposition and aggregation of the hydrocarbon layer.

Keywords: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; low-energy electrons; organolead compounds; perovskite; solar cells.

Publication types

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