Direct observation of intrinsic twin domains in tetragonal CH<sub>3</sub>NH<sub>3</sub>PbI<sub>3</sub>.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 28230064.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms14547 and PMC identifier 5331338.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites are exciting candidates for next-generation solar cells, with CH<sub>3</sub>NH<sub>3</sub>PbI<sub>3</sub> being one of the most widely studied. While there have been intense efforts to fabricate and optimize photovoltaic devices using CH<sub>3</sub>NH<sub>3</sub>PbI<sub>3</sub>, critical questions remain regarding the crystal structure that governs its unique properties of the hybrid perovskite material. Here we report unambiguous evidence for crystallographic twin domains in tetragonal CH<sub>3</sub>NH<sub>3</sub>PbI<sub>3</sub>, observed using low-dose transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction. The domains are around 100-300 nm wide, which disappear/reappear above/below the tetragonal-to-cubic phase transition temperature (approximate 57 °C) in a reversible process that often 'memorizes' the scale and orientation of the domains. Since these domains exist within the operational temperature range of solar cells, and have dimensions comparable to the thickness of typical CH<sub>3</sub>NH<sub>3</sub>PbI<sub>3</sub> films in the solar cells, understanding the twin geometry and orientation is essential for further improving perovskite solar cells.