Aerosol-Assisted Crystallization Lowers Intrinsic Quantum Confinement and Improves Optoelectronic Performance in FAPbI 3 Films
The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters American Chemical Society 16:9 (2025) 2212-2222
Authors:
Gurpreet Kaur, Madsar Hameed, Jae Eun Lee, Karim A Elmestekawy, Michael B Johnston, Joe Briscoe, Laura M Herz
Abstract:
FAPbI3 has emerged as a promising semiconductor for photovoltaic applications offering a suitable bandgap for single-junction cells and high chemical stability. However, device efficiency is negatively affected by intrinsic quantum confinement (QC) effects that manifest as additional peaks in the absorption spectra. Here, we show that aerosol-assisted crystallization is an effective method to improve crystallinity and suppresses regions exhibiting QC in FAPbI3. We demonstrate that films with minimized QC effects exhibit markedly enhanced optoelectronic properties, such as higher charge-carrier mobilities and recombination lifetimes. Films crystallized under an aerosol solvent flow of either a mixture of N, N-dimethylformamide and dimethyl sulfoxide or methylammonium thiocyanate vapor displayed reduced charge-carrier recombination losses and improved diffusion lengths compared to those of thermally annealed control films. Our study indicates clear correlations between suppression of QC features in absorption spectra with optimization of crystallinity and mitigation of internal strain, highlighting pathways toward high-performance solar cells.
