Organometal Hallide Perovskites

One of the newest players in photovoltaics, organometal hallide perovskite materials have become a hot topic in the PV field. Shown to have efficiencies comparable with silicon cells, these highly tunable thin-film materials are a predominant focus in our lab.

Although these perovskites possess many desirable properties for affordable photovoltaics, they lack stability necessary for industrialization. To understand the fundamental degradation mechanisms, we characterize the key factors in the decay process, with the ultimate goal of providing a roadmap to stabilization.

Many perovskite structures exist, however our primary focus is on the Methylammonium Lead Iodide (MAPbI3) perovskite with future targets on other structures. Currently, degradation methods due to temperature, light, and oxygen have been identified. Characterization equipment includes UV-white and monochromatic light, XRD, FTIR, PDS, EXAFS, and UV-Vis absorption.

As understanding of the isolated material is developed, we integrate this into a thin film PV device, where we study the degradation at interfacial layers.