Transcending the slow bimolecular recombination in lead-halide perovskites for electroluminescence
- Journal:
- Nature Communications
- Published:
- DOI:
- 10.1038/ncomms14558
- Affiliations:
- 5
- Authors:
- 10
Research Highlight
Perovskites shine as LEDs
© Mitja Kobal/Moment/Getty
Perovskite materials, barely heard of a decade ago, have attracted widespread attention for their unexpected potential as low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells. Their potential for use in cheap, efficient LEDs for lighting and electronic screens — though work by Nanjing Tech University researchers could soon change that.
One of the properties that make perovskites good solar materials is that the positively and negatively charged ‘excitons’ created when the material absorbs light do not rapidly recombine; they migrate to opposite sides of the material, creating a useful voltage. But for an LED, the exciton recombination is what releases the light.
To boost the chances of excitons coming together, a NanjingTech-led team has developed a quasi-2D perovskite material to keep the excitons confined. The material consists of perovskite films sandwiched between organic barrier layers, creating a structure known as a quantum well. Trapped within the well, excitons rapidly combine and the material shines.
References
- Nature Communications 8, 14558 (2017). doi: 10.1038/ncomms14558