Photoinduced Dynamics of Charge Carriers in Metal Halide Perovskites from an Atomistic Perspective

Schottky Defects Suppress Nonradiative Recombination in CH3NH3PbI3 through Charge Localization

Hybrid lead halide perovskites are promising materials for photovoltaic applications due to their exceptional optoelectronic properties. Here, we investigate the impact of Schottky defects─specifically PbI2(VPbI2) and CH3NH3I (VMAI) vacancies─on nonradiative recombination in CH3NH3PbI3 using time-dependent density functional theory and nonadiabatic (NA) molecular dynamics. Our results reveal that Schottky defects do not alter the fundamental bandgap or introduce trap states but instead distort the surrounding lattice, localizing the hole distribution. This reduces the spatial overlap of electron and hole wave functions, weakening NA coupling and increasing intensitieis of high-intensity phonon modes that accelerate dephasing. Consequently, nonradiative recombination lifetimes extend to 2.1 and 2.6 ns for VPbI2 and VMAI, respectively─over double that of pristine CH3NH3PbI3. This work demonstrates the potential of Schottky defects to enhance perovskite solar cell performance by suppressing nonradiative recombination.

Optimizing Molecular Passivation in MAPbI3 Perovskites: Impact of Dipole Moments and Structural Parameters

In the realm of perovskite materials, organic molecules situated at the A site play a critical role in stabilizing the structure through specific orientations and weak interactions with the inorganic framework. These polar interactions significantly influence the optoelectronic properties of perovskites, and the introduction of polar molecules can disrupt the inherent polarization, thereby altering the material performance. The research primarily focuses on the relationship between the length and width of these organic cations and their polar inductive effects. Overall, the interplay between the chain length, molecular width, and dipole moments was shown to significantly affect the lifetime of MAPbI3 materials. Key findings indicate that non-radiative recombination, which is a major energy loss mechanism in solar cells, is intrinsically linked to the variations of hydrogen bonds and PbI6 octahedral distortion. The analysis revealed a strong negative correlation between octahedral angles, highlighting the complex relationship between these variables and their collective effects on charge carrier dynamics.

Effect of Sb-Bi alloying on electron-hole recombination time of Cs2AgBiBr6 double perovskite

The double perovskite material Cs2AgBiBr6, characterized by high stability, low toxicity, and excellent optoelectronic properties, has emerged as a promising alternative to lead-based halide perovskites in photovoltaic applications. However, its photovoltaic conversion efficiency after integration into solar cell devices is less than 3%, significantly lower than that of traditional perovskite solar cells. While alloying methods have been widely applied in the design of photovoltaic materials, their specific role in modulating the lifetime of photo-generated charge carriers in double-perovskite solar cells remains inadequately explored. In this study, through nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) simulations, the excited-state dynamics properties of Cs2AgBiBr6 and alloyed Cs2AgSb0.375Bi0.625Br6 samples were compared. The results revealed that the introduction of Sb ions into the double perovskite structure induces lattice deformation upon heating to 300 K, leading to distortion of Bi-Br bonds and enhanced valence band delocalization. Using the decoherence-induced surface hopping method, the capture and recombination processes of charge carriers between different states were simulated. It was suggested that hole lifetime serves as the primary limiting factor for carrier lifetime in Cs2AgBiBr6, and replacing 0.375 proportion of Bi with Sb can decelerate the hole capture rate, extending carrier lifetime by 3-4 times. This study demonstrates that alloying offers a viable approach to optimizing the optoelectronic performance of the Cs2AgBiBr6 perovskite, thereby advancing the application of double perovskite materials in the field of photovoltaics.

Strong Dependence of Point Defect Properties in Metal Halide Perovskites on Description of van der Waals Interaction

Weaker than ionic and covalent bonding, van der Waals (vdW) interactions can have a significant impact on structure and function of molecules and materials, including stabilities of conformers and phases, chemical reaction pathways, electro-optical response, electron-vibrational dynamics, etc. Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are widely investigated for their excellent optoelectronic properties, stemming largely from high defect tolerance. Although MHPs are primarily ionic compounds, we demonstrate that vdW interactions contribute ∼5% to the total energy, and that static, dynamics, electronic and optical properties of point defects in MHPs depend significantly on the vdW interaction model used. Focusing on widely studied CsPbBr3 with the common Br vacancy and interstitial defects, we compare the PBE, PBE+D3, PBE+TS, PBE+TS/HI and PBE+MBD-NL models and show that vdW interactions strongly alter the global and local geometric structure, and change the fundamental bandgap, midgap state energies and electron-vibrational coupling. The vdW interaction sensitivity stems from involvement of heavy and highly polarizable chemical elements and the soft MHP structure.

Positional Isomerism of Aromatic Heterocyclic Spacer Cations in Two-Dimensional Dion-Jacobson Hybrid Perovskites

Ligand engineering of aromatic heterocyclic cations in two-dimensional (2D) Dion-Jacobson (DJ) perovskites has been widely explored in recent years. In this study, how the positional isomers of aromatic heterocyclic cations tune the lattice of 2D perovskites, thereby influencing the transport and recombination dynamics of charge carriers, has been investigated through nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations. We demonstrate that the meta-substituted 3-(aminomethyl)pyridinium (3AMPY) cations greatly reduce the strength of electron-vibration coupling since the strong hydrogen-bonding network introduced by the changes in the arrangement of spacer cations significantly suppresses the structural thermal fluctuations. Compared to the para-substituted 4-(aminomethyl)pyridinium (4AMPY) cation, using the asymmetric 3AMPY as a spacer cation can achieve improved in-plane transport performance, enhanced thermal stability, and suppressed charge carrier recombination through weakening electron-vibration interactions. Our results explain the observed lifetime difference between the two types of DJ-phase perovskites in experiments and provide new guidance for optimizing the performance of perovskite devices.

Band alignment engineering of 2D/3D halide perovskite lateral heterostructures

Two-dimensional (2D)/three-dimensional (3D) halide perovskite heterostructures have been extensively studied for their ability to combine the outstanding long-term stability of 2D perovskites with the superb optoelectronic properties of 3D perovskites. While current studies mostly focus on vertically stacked 2D/3D perovskite heterostructures, a theoretical understanding regarding the optoelectronic properties of 2D/3D perovskite lateral heterostructures is still lacking. Herein, we construct a series of 2D/3D perovskite lateral heterostructures to study their optoelectronic properties and interfacial charge transfer using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We find that the band alignments of 2D/3D heterostructures can be regulated by varying the quantum-well thickness of 2D perovskites. Moreover, decreasing the 2D component ratio in 2D/3D heterostructures can be favorable to form type-I band alignment, whereas a large component ratio of 2D perovskites tends to form type-II band alignment. We can improve the amount of charge transfer at the 2D/3D perovskite interfaces and the light absorption of 2D perovskites by increasing quantum-well thickness. These present findings can provide a clear designing principle for achieving 3D/2D perovskite lateral heterostructures with tunable optoelectronic properties.

Benchmarking various nonadiabatic semiclassical mapping dynamics methods with tensor-train thermo-field dynamics

Accurate quantum dynamics simulations of nonadiabatic processes are important for studies of electron transfer, energy transfer, and photochemical reactions in complex systems. In this comparative study, we benchmark various approximate nonadiabatic dynamics methods with mapping variables against numerically exact calculations based on the tensor-train (TT) representation of high-dimensional arrays, including TT-KSL for zero-temperature dynamics and TT-thermofield dynamics for finite-temperature dynamics. The approximate nonadiabatic dynamics methods investigated include mixed quantum-classical Ehrenfest mean-field and fewest-switches surface hopping, linearized semiclassical mapping dynamics, symmetrized quasiclassical dynamics, the spin-mapping method, and extended classical mapping models. Different model systems were evaluated, including the spin-boson model for nonadiabatic dynamics in the condensed phase, the linear vibronic coupling model for electronic transition through conical intersections, the photoisomerization model of retinal, and Tully's one-dimensional scattering models. Our calculations show that the optimal choice of approximate dynamical method is system-specific, and the accuracy is sensitively dependent on the zero-point-energy parameter and the initial sampling strategy for the mapping variables.

Impact of large A-site cations on electron-vibrational interactions in 2D halide perovskites: Ab initio quantum dynamics

Using ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics, we study the effect of large A-site cations on nonradiative electron-hole recombination in two-dimensional Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites HA2APb2I7, HA = n-hexylammonium, A = methylammonium (MA), or guanidinium (GA). The steric hindrance created by large GA cations distorts and stiffens the inorganic Pb-I lattice, reduces thermal structural fluctuations, and maintains the delocalization of electrons and holes at ambient and elevated temperatures. The delocalized charges interact more strongly in the GA system than in the MA system, and the charge recombination is accelerated. In contrast, replacement of only some MA cations with GA enhances disorder and increases charge lifetime, as seen in three-dimensional perovskites. This study highlights the key influence of structural fluctuations and disorder on the properties of charge carriers in metal halide perovskites, providing guidance for tuning materials' optoelectronic performance.

Controlling Charge Carrier Dynamics in Porphyrin Nanorings by Optically Active Templates

Understanding the dynamics of photogenerated charge carriers is essential for enhancing the performance of solar and optoelectronic devices. Using atomistic quantum dynamics simulations, we demonstrate that a short π-conjugated optically active template can be used to control hot carrier relaxation, charge carrier separation, and carrier recombination in light-harvesting porphyrin nanorings. Relaxation of hot holes is slowed by 60% with an optically active template compared to that with an analogous optically inactive template. Both systems exhibit subpicosecond electron transfer from the photoactive core to the templates. Notably, charge recombination is suppressed 6-fold by the optically active template. The atomistic time-domain simulations rationalize these effects by the extent of electron and hole localization, modification of the density of states, participation of distinct vibrational motions, and changes in quantum coherence. Extension of the hot carrier lifetime and reduction of charge carrier recombination, without hampering charge separation, demonstrate a strategy for enhancing efficiencies of energy materials with optically active templates.

The sp3 Defect Decreases Charge Carrier Lifetime in (8,3) Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

A recent experimental approach introduces sp3 defects into single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) through controlled functionalization with guanine, resulting in a decrease in charge carrier lifetime. However, the physical mechanism behind this phenomenon remains unclear. We employ nonadiabatic molecular dynamics to systematically model the nonradiative recombination process of electron-hole pairs in SWNTs with sp3 defects generated by a guanine molecule. We demonstrate that the introduction of sp3 defects creates an overlapping channel between the highest occupied (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), significantly enhancing the nonadiabatic (NA) coupling and leading to a 4.7-fold acceleration in charge carrier recombination compared to defect-free SWNTs. The charge carrier recombination slows significantly at a lower temperature (50 K) due to the weakening of the NA coupling. Our results rationalize the accelerated recombination of charge carriers in SWNTs with sp3 defects in experiments and contribute to a deeper understanding of the carrier dynamics in SWNTs.

Rapid Interlayer Charge Separation and Extended Carrier Lifetimes due to Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking in Organic and Mixed Organic-Inorganic Dion-Jacobson Perovskites

Promising alternatives to three-dimensional perovskites, two-dimensional (2D) layered metal halide perovskites have proven their potential in optoelectronic applications due to improved photo- and chemical stability. Nevertheless, photovoltaic devices based on 2D perovskites suffer from poor efficiency owing to unfavorable charge carrier dynamics and energy losses. Focusing on the 2D Dion-Jacobson perovskite phase that is rapidly rising in popularity, we demonstrate that doping of complementary cations into the 3-(aminomethyl)piperidinium perovskite accelerates spontaneous charge separation and slows down charge recombination, both factors improving the photovoltaic performance. Employing ab initio nonadiabatic (NA) molecular dynamics combined with time-dependent density functional theory, we demonstrate that cesium doping broadens the bandgap by 0.4 eV and breaks structural symmetry. Assisted by thermal fluctuations, the symmetry breaking helps to localize electrons and holes in different layers and activates additional vibrational modes. As a result, the charge separation is accelerated. Simultaneously, the charge carrier lifetime grows due to shortened coherence time between the ground and excited states. The established relationships between perovskite composition and charge carrier dynamics provide guidelines toward future material discovery and design of perovskite solar cells.

Caution! Static Supercell Calculations of Defect Migration in Higher Symmetry ABX3 Perovskite Halides May Be Unreliable: A Case Study of Methylammonium Lead Iodide

Activation energies of defect migration in ABX₃ perovskite halides are widely obtained through static supercell calculations with the nudged-elastic-band method. Taking methylammonium lead iodide (CH₃NH₃PbI₃, MAPbI₃) as an example, we demonstrate that such calculations are unreliable for the higher symmetry structures adopted by the material at temperatures relevant to device operation (tetragonal and cubic MAPbI₃) because, in addition to ion relaxation around the point defects, local structural modifications characteristic of the ground-state (orthorhombic) structure occur. In this way, we offer a simple explanation of why calculated activation energies of defect migration in MAPbI₃ suffer from surprisingly large scatter. We propose a robust test to determine whether static supercell calculations of point-defect processes in ABX₃ perovskite systems are reliable.

Anion Doping Delays Nonradiative Electron-Hole Recombination in Cs-Based All-Inorganic Perovskites: Time Domain ab Initio Analysis

Using time-domain density functional theory combined with nonadiabatic (NA) molecular dynamics, we demonstrate that composition engineering of the X-site anions has a strong influence on the nonradiative electron-hole recombination and thermodynamic stability of cesium-based all-inorganic perovskites. Partial substitution of iodine(I) with bromine (Br) and acetate (Ac) anions reduces the NA electron-vibrational coupling by minimizing the overlap between the electron and hole wave functions and suppressing atomic fluctuations. The doping also widens the energy gap to further reduce the NA coupling and to enhance the open-circuit voltage of perovskite solar cells. These factors increase the charge carrier lifetime by an order of magnitude and improve structural stability in the series CsPbI_1.88BrAc_0.12 > CsPbI₂Br > CsPbI₃. The fundamental atomistic insights into the influence of anion doping on the photophysical properties of the all-inorganic lead halide perovskites guide the design of efficient optoelectronic materials.

Structural Disorder in Higher-Temperature Phases Increases Charge Carrier Lifetimes in Metal Halide Perovskites

Solar cells and optoelectronic devices are exposed to heat that degrades performance. Therefore, elucidating temperature-dependent charge carrier dynamics is essential for device optimization. Charge carrier lifetimes decrease with temperature in conventional semiconductors. The opposite, anomalous trend is observed in some experiments performed with MAPbI₃ (MA = CH₃NH₃⁺) and other metal halide perovskites. Using ab initio quantum dynamics simulation, we establish the atomic mechanisms responsible for nonradiative electron-hole recombination in orthorhombic-, tetragonal-, and cubic MAPbI₃. We demonstrate that structural disorder arising from the phase transitions is as important as the disorder due to heating in the same phase. The carrier lifetimes grow both with increasing temperature in the same phase and upon transition to the higher-temperature phases. The increased lifetime is rationalized by structural disorder that induces partial charge localization, decreases nonadiabatic coupling, and shortens quantum coherence. Inelastic and elastic electron-vibrational interactions exhibit opposite dependence on temperature and phase. The partial disorder and localization arise from thermal motions of both the inorganic lattice and the organic cations and depend significantly on the phase. The structural deformations induced by thermal fluctuations and phase transitions are on the same order as deformations induced by defects, and hence, thermal disorder plays a very important role. Since charge localization increases carrier lifetimes but inhibits transport, an optimal regime maximizing carrier diffusion can be designed, depending on phase, temperature, material morphology, and device architecture. The atomistic mechanisms responsible for the enhanced carrier lifetimes at elevated temperatures provide guidelines for the design of improved solar energy and optoelectronic materials.

All-Atom Nonadiabatic Semiclassical Mapping Dynamics for Photoinduced Charge Transfer of Organic Photovoltaic Molecules in Explicit Solvents

Direct all-atom simulation of nonadiabatic dynamics in disordered condensed phases like liquid solutions and amorphous solids has been challenging. The first all-atom simulation of the photoinduced charge-transfer dynamics of a prototypical organic photovoltaic carotenoid-porphyrin-C₆₀ molecular triad in explicit tetrahydrofuran is presented. Based on the Meyer-Miller mapping Hamiltonian, various semiclassical and mixed quantum-classical dynamics are employed, including the linearized semiclassical, symmetrical quasiclassical, mean-field Ehrenfest, classical mapping model, and spin-mapping model approaches. The all-atom nonadiabatic dynamics were compared to multi-state harmonic models with a globally shared bath, and the models built using the ensemble averages on the initial electronic state could reproduce the all-atom results. The solvent effect was found to be critical for the photoinduced charge transfer, and the time-dependent solute-solvent radial distribution functions revealed that only the nonadiabatic dynamics started with the effective forces on the initial electronic state could capture the correct nuclear dynamics. The proposed strategy for modeling condensed-phase nonadiabatic dynamics with atomistic details is readily applied to complex condensed-phase systems.

Control of Polaronic Behavior and Carrier Lifetimes via Metal and Anion Alloying in Chalcogenide Perovskites

Transition-metal perovskite chalcogenides (TMPCs) have emerged as lead-free alternatives to lead-halide perovskites and have been currently of increasing interest for optoelectronic applications because of their suitable band gaps, high carrier mobility, strong light absorption, and high stability. Here, we systematically report a study on the effects of Ti- and Se-alloying strategies on polaron behavior and carrier lifetimes in nonradiative recombination. Although such alloying can effectively tune the band gap of BaZrS₃, we observe localized small polaron formation upon Ti alloying and large polarons generating in Se alloying. Ti-alloying strengthens the electron-phonon coupling, leading to a reduced carrier lifetime. Remarkably, Se-alloying weakens the electron-phonon coupling and prolongs the nonradiative electron-hole recombination lifetime by up to 60% compared to that in pristine BaZrS₃ material. The simulations rationalize the difference in carrier lifetimes in TMPC alloys and provide guidelines for further improvements in TMPC-based photoelectronic devices.

Independent Trajectory Mixed Quantum-Classical Approaches Based on the Exact Factorization

Mixed quantum-classical dynamics based on the exact factorization exploits the "derived" electron-nuclear correlation (ENC) term aiming for the description of quantum coherences. The ENC contains interactions between the phase of electronic states and nuclear quantum momenta which depend on the spatial shape of the nuclear density.The original surface hopping based on the exact factorization (SHXF) [\textit{J. Phys. Chem. Lett.} \textbf{2018}, \textit{9}, 1097] exploits frozen Gaussian functions to construct the nuclear density in the ENC term while the phase of electronic states is approximated as a fictitious nuclear momentum change.However, in reality, the width of nuclear wave packets varies in time depending on the shape of potential energy surfaces.In this work, we present a modified SHXF approach and a newly-developed Ehrenfest dynamics based on the exact factorization (EhXF) with time-dependent Gaussian functions and phases by enforcing total energy conservation.We perform numerical tests for various one-dimensional two-state model Hamiltonians.Overall, the time-dependent width of Gaussian functions and the energy conserving phase show a reliable decoherence compared to the original frozen Gaussian-based SHXF and the exact quantum mechanical calculation.Especially, the energy conserving phase is crucial for EhXF to reproduce the correct quantum dynamics.

Collective Motion Improves the Stability and Charge Carrier Lifetime of Metal Halide Perovskites: A Phonon-Resolved Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics Study

By implementing a novel algorithm that realizes the constraints of certain normal modes of interest and using nonadiabatic molecular dynamics for the CsPbBr₃, we explicitly demonstrate for the first time that the collective motion between the Cs atom and inorganic octahedra facilitates to delay the nonradiative recombination of negative and positive charges. The Cs atoms can instantaneously respond to the motion of Pb and Br atoms during normal molecular dynamics, maintain the perovskite structure, and homogenize the structural distortion caused by thermal fluctuations, thus decreasing nonadiabatic coupling and charge recombination. In contrast, the perovskite becomes unstable because geometry distortion is strongly localized when the normal modes of Cs atoms are constrained, which increases the nonadiabatic coupling and accelerates charge recombination. The study emphasizes the important role of correlated motion on the stability and charge-phonon dynamics in metal halide perovskites.

The Important Role of Optical Absorption in Determining the Efficiency of Intermediate Band Solar Cells and a Design Principle for Perovskite Doping

The efficiency of solar cells can be increased by introducing an intermediate band (IB) in the band gap. Considering that absorption within the band gap is typically weak, the efficiency of IB solar cells was overestimated previously, with a strong enough optical absorption assumed. Here, we propose a new formulism to calculate the limit of the efficiency of IB solar cells with the ideal absorption assumption removed, which can be used to evaluate the effect of absorption. New IB materials are designed via doping double perovskite, which has a relatively strong absorption within the band gap with both d-p and s-p transitions. The limit of the efficiency of a 2 μm thick Sn-doped Cs₂AgBiBr₆ is 38.6% under the AM1.5G spectrum, which is only ∼6% smaller than the ideal-absorption estimation. Results presented here provide a new dimension in the rational design of IB solar cell materials.

Hybrid Plasmonic Nanomaterials for Hydrogen Generation and Carbon Dioxide Reduction

The successful development of artificial photosynthesis requires finding new materials able to efficiently harvest sunlight and catalyze hydrogen generation and carbon dioxide reduction reactions. Plasmonic nanoparticles are promising candidates for these tasks, due to their ability to confine solar energy into molecular regions. Here, we review recent developments in hybrid plasmonic photocatalysis, including the combination of plasmonic nanomaterials with catalytic metals, semiconductors, perovskites, 2D materials, metal-organic frameworks, and electrochemical cells. We perform a quantitative comparison of the demonstrated activity and selectivity of these materials for solar fuel generation in the liquid phase. In this way, we critically assess the state-of-the-art of hybrid plasmonic photocatalysts for solar fuel production, allowing its benchmarking against other existing heterogeneous catalysts. Our analysis allows the identification of the best performing plasmonic systems, useful to design a new generation of plasmonic catalysts.

Nanoscale-Resolved Surface-to-Bulk Electron Transport in CsPbBr3 Perovskite

Describing the nanoscale charge carrier transport at surfaces and interfaces is fundamental for designing high-performance optoelectronic devices. To achieve this, we employ time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy with ultraviolet pump and extreme ultraviolet probe pulses. The resulting high surface sensitivity reveals an ultrafast carrier population decay associated with surface-to-bulk transport, which was tracked with a sub-nanometer spatial resolution normal to the surface, and on a femtosecond time scale, in the case of the inorganic CsPbBr₃ lead halide perovskite. The decay time exhibits a pronounced carrier density dependence, which is attributed via modeling to enhanced diffusive transport and concurrent recombination. The transport is found to approach an ordinary diffusive regime, limited by electron-hole scattering, at the highest excitation fluences. This approach constitutes an important milestone in our capability to probe hot-carrier transport at solid interfaces with sub-nanometer resolution in a theoretically and experimentally challenging, yet technologically relevant, high-carrier-density regime.

Coupled- and Independent-Trajectory Approaches Based on the Exact Factorization Using the PyUNIxMD Package

We present mixed quantum-classical approaches based on the exact factorization framework. The electron-nuclear correlation term in the exact factorization enables us to deal with quantum coherences by accounting for electronic and nuclear nonadiabatic couplings effectively within classical nuclei approximation. We compare coupled- and independent-trajectory approximations with each other to understand algorithms in description of the bifurcation of nuclear wave packets and the correct spatial distribution of electronic wave functions along with nuclear trajectories. Finally, we show numerical results for comparisons of coupled- and independent-trajectory approaches for the photoisomerization of a protonated Schiff base from excited state molecular dynamics (ESMD) simulations with the recently developed Python-based ESMD code, namely, the PyUNIxMD program.

CO Adsorbate Promotes Polaron Photoactivity on the Reduced Rutile TiO2(110) Surface

Polarons play a major role in determining the chemical properties of transition-metal oxides. Recent experiments show that adsorbates can attract inner polarons to surface sites. These findings require an atomistic understanding of the adsorbate influence on polaron dynamics and lifetime. We consider reduced rutile TiO₂(110) with an oxygen vacancy as a prototypical surface and a CO molecule as a classic probe and perform ab initio adiabatic molecular dynamics, time-domain density functional theory, and nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations. The simulations show that subsurface polarons have little influence on CO adsorption and CO can desorb easily. On the contrary, surface polarons strongly enhance CO adsorption. At the same time, the adsorbed CO attracts polarons to the surface, allowing them to participate in catalytic processes with CO. The CO interaction with polarons changes their orbital origin, suppresses polaron hopping, and stabilizes them at surface sites. Partial delocalization of polarons onto CO decouples them from free holes, decreasing the nonadiabatic coupling and shortening the quantum coherence time, thereby reducing charge recombination. The calculations demonstrate that CO prefers to adsorb at the next-nearest-neighbor five-coordinated Ti³⁺ surface electron polaron sites. The reported results provide a fundamental understanding of the influence of electron polarons on the initial stage of reactant adsorption and the effect of the adsorbate-polaron interaction on the polaron dynamics and lifetime. The study demonstrates how charge and polaron properties can be controlled by adsorbed species, allowing one to design high-performance transition-metal oxide catalysts.

Weak Anharmonicity Rationalizes the Temperature-Driven Acceleration of Nonradiative Dynamics in Cu2ZnSnS4 Photoabsorbers

We report a time-domain ab initio investigation of the nonradiative electron-hole recombination in quaternary Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) at different temperatures using a combination of time-dependent density functional theory and nonadiabatic molecular dynamics. Our results demonstrate that higher temperatures increase both inelastic and elastic electron-phonon interactions. Elevated temperatures moderately increase the lattice anharmonicity and cause stronger fluctuations of electronic energy levels, enhancing the electron-phonon coupling. The overall nuclear anharmonic effect is weak in CZTS, which can be ascribed to their stable bonding environment. Phonon-induced loss of electronic coherence accelerates with temperature, due to stronger elastic electron-phonon scattering. The enhanced inelastic electron-phonon scattering decreases charge carrier lifetimes at higher temperatures, deteriorating material performance in optoelectronic devices. The detailed atomistic investigation of the temperature-dependent charge carrier dynamics, with particular focus on anharmonic effects, guides the development of more efficient solar cells based on CZTS and related semiconductor photoabsorbers.

Charge-Compensated Doping Extends Carrier Lifetimes in SrTiO3 by Passivating Oxygen Vacancy Defects

Experiments reported that oxygen vacancies shorten the charge carrier lifetime of SrTiO₃ but that it is greatly improved upon Al and Na doping. Using nonadiabatic (NA) molecular dynamics, we demonstrate that the in-gap hole trap state created by an oxygen vacancy can be eliminated by charge-compensated doping when two Ti⁴⁺ ions or two Sr²⁺ ions are equally replaced by Al³⁺ or Na⁺ ions. Nevertheless, Al³⁺ and Na⁺ reduce the strength of NA coupling to a different extent, resulting in increased charge carrier lifetimes of 4.6 and 1.3 ns. The lifetimes are several times longer than that of the pristine system and 3 orders of magnitude longer than that of defective SrTiO₃, which is within 50 ps due to strong NA coupling. The weakly correlated electron and hole wave functions in doped systems accelerate decoherence, further delaying charge recombination. Our study rationalizes the complex charge-phonon dynamics in SrTiO₃ and proposes charge-compensated doping for the design of advanced visible-light photocatalysts.

All-inorganic perovskite quantum dots-based electrospun polyacrylonitrile fiber for ultra-sensitive trace-recording

All-inorganic dual-phase CsPbBr₃-Cs₄PbBr₆quantum dots (CPB QDs)-based polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber synthesized by supersaturated recrystallization and electrospinning technique possesses characteristics of homogeneous morphology, high crystallinity and solution sensitivity. Under 365 nm laser excitation, CPB@PAN fiber exhibits surprising trace-recording capability attributing to the splash-enhanced fluorescence (FL) performance with a narrow-band emission at 477-515 nm. In the process of ethanol anhydrous (EA) and water splashing, the CPB@PAN fiber presents conspicuous blue and green emission when contacting with EA and water, and maintains intense blue and green FL for more than 4 months. These experimental and theoretical findings provide a facile technology for the development of biological protection display, biotic detection and moisture-proof forewarning based on the trace-recording performance of CPB@PAN fiber.

Increasing Efficiency of Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics by Hamiltonian Interpolation with Kernel Ridge Regression

Nonadiabatic (NA) molecular dynamics (MD) goes beyond the adiabatic Born-Oppenheimer approximation to account for transitions between electronic states. Such processes are common in molecules and materials used in solar energy, optoelectronics, sensing, and many other fields. NA-MD simulations are much more expensive compared to adiabatic MD due to the need to compute excited state properties and NA couplings (NACs). Similarly, application of machine learning (ML) to NA-MD is more challenging compared with adiabatic MD. We develop an NA-MD simulation strategy in which an adiabatic MD trajectory, which can be generated with a ML force field, is used to sample excitation energies and NACs for a small fraction of geometries, while the properties for the remaining geometries are interpolated with kernel ridge regression (KRR). This ML strategy allows for one to perform NA-MD under the classical path approximation, increasing the computational efficiency by over an order of magnitude. Compared to neural networks, KRR requires little parameter tuning, saving efforts on model building. The developed strategy is demonstrated with two metal halide perovskites that exhibit complicated MD and are actively studied for various applications.

PyUNIxMD: A Python-based excited state molecular dynamics package

Theoretical/computational description of excited state molecular dynamics is nowadays a crucial tool for understanding light-matter interactions in many materials. Here we present an open-source Python-based nonadiabatic molecular dynamics program package, namely PyUNIxMD, to deal with mixed quantum-classical dynamics for correlated electron-nuclear propagation. The PyUNIxMD provides many interfaces for quantum chemical calculation methods with commercial and noncommercial ab initio and semiempirical quantum chemistry programs. In addition, the PyUNIxMD offers many nonadiabatic molecular dynamics algorithms such as fewest-switch surface hopping and its derivatives as well as decoherence-induced surface hopping based on the exact factorization (DISH-XF) and coupled-trajectory mixed quantum-classical dynamics (CTMQC) for general purposes. Detailed structures and flows of PyUNIxMD are explained for the further implementations by developers. We perform a nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulation for a molecular motor system as a simple demonstration.

Are Shockley-Read-Hall and ABC models valid for lead halide perovskites?

Metal halide perovskites are an important class of emerging semiconductors. Their charge carrier dynamics is poorly understood due to limited knowledge of defect physics and charge carrier recombination mechanisms. Nevertheless, classical ABC and Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) models are ubiquitously applied to perovskites without considering their validity. Herein, an advanced technique mapping photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) as a function of both the excitation pulse energy and repetition frequency is developed and employed to examine the validity of these models. While ABC and SRH fail to explain the charge dynamics in a broad range of conditions, the addition of Auger recombination and trapping to the SRH model enables a quantitative fitting of PLQY maps and low-power PL decay kinetics, and extracting trap concentrations and efficacies. However, PL kinetics at high power are too fast and cannot be explained. The proposed PLQY mapping technique is ideal for a comprehensive testing of theories and applicable to any semiconductor.

Materials Design and Optimization for Next-Generation Solar Cell and Light-Emitting Technologies

We review some of the most potent directions in the design of materials for next-generation solar cell and light-emitting technologies that go beyond traditional solid-state inorganic semiconductor-based devices, from both the experimental and computational standpoints. We focus on selected recent conceptual advances in tackling issues which are expected to significantly impact applied literature in the coming years. Specifically, we consider solution processability, design of dopant-free charge transport materials, two-dimensional conjugated polymeric semiconductors, and colloidal quantum dot assemblies in the fields of experimental synthesis, characterization, and device fabrication. Key modeling issues that we consider are calculations of optical properties and of effects of aggregation, including recent advances in methods beyond linear-response time-dependent density functional theory and recent insights into the effects of correlation when going beyond the single-particle ansatz as well as in the context of modeling of thermally activated fluorescence.

Concentric Approximation for Fast and Accurate Numerical Evaluation of Nonadiabatic Coupling with Projector Augmented-Wave Pseudopotentials

We develop an efficient and accurate method for numerical evaluation of nonadiabatic (NA) coupling in the Kohn-Sham representation with projector augmented-wave (PAW) pseudopotentials that are commonly used in electronic structure calculations on nanoscale, condensed matter, and molecular systems. Without additional cost, the method provides an order of magnitude improvement in accuracy compared to the current technique, while it is 3-4 orders of magnitude faster than the exact evaluation. Atomic displacements over typical time steps in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are much smaller than the size of the PAW core region, and therefore, evaluation of the NA in the core is simplified. The accuracy is demonstrated with three condensed matter systems. The method is robust to variation in the MD time step. The accurate NA coupling evaluation also helps in maintaining phase-consistency of the NA coupling and identifying trivial crossings of adiabatic states. The approach stimulates NAMD applications to modeling of modern materials and processes.

Unravelling a Zigzag Pathway for Hot Carrier Collection with Graphene Electrode

The capture of photoexcited deep-band hot carriers, excited by photons with energies far above the bandgap, is of significant importance for photovoltaic and photoelectronic applications because it is directly related to the quantum efficiency of photon-to-electron conversion. By employing time-resolved photoluminescence and state-of-the-art time-domain density functional theory, we reveal that photoexcited hot carriers in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites prefer a zigzag interfacial charge-transfer pathway, i.e., the hot carriers transfer back and forth between CH₃NH₃PbI₃ and graphene electrode, before they reach a charge-separated state. Driven by quantum coherence and interlayer vibrational modes, this pathway at the semiconductor-graphene interface takes about 400 fs, much faster than the relaxation process within CH₃NH₃PbI₃ (several picoseconds). Our work provides new insight into the fundamental understanding and precise manipulation of hot carrier dynamics at the complex interfaces, paving the way for highly efficient photovoltaic and photoelectric device optimization.

Rapid Charge Separation Boosts Solar Hydrogen Generation at the Graphene-MoS2 Junction: Time-Domain Ab Initio Analysis

Transition metal dichalcogenides and graphene hybrids hold great promise for photovoltaics and photocatalysts. Using a combination of time-domain density functional theory and nonadiabatic molecular dynamics, we investigate the interplay between forward and backward electron transfer (ET), as well as energy relaxation in a van der Waals graphene-MoS₂ heterojunction. We demonstrated that built-in potential formed at the polarized interface produces charge separation upon photoexcitation. The electron left on graphene is injected into MoS₂ on an ultrafast time scale, which is notably faster than energy losses to heat regardless of the initial state energy. Once the electron is relaxed to the conduction band edge state of MoS₂, it transfers back and recombines with the hole remaining on graphene on ultrafast time scales by considering quantum transitions among multiple k points. The obtained time scales for ET, back-ET, and energy relaxation agree well with experimental data. The study reveals that ET that is faster than energy loss makes the graphene-MoS₂ heterojunction efficient for optoelectronic applications.

Excited-State Properties of Defected Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots: Insights from Computation

CsPbBr₃ quantum dots (QDs) have been recently suggested for their application as bright green light-emitting diodes (LEDs); however, their optical properties are yet to be fully understood and characterized. In this work, we utilize time-dependent density functional theory to analyze the ground and excited states of the CsPbBr₃ clusters in the presence of various low formation energy vacancy defects. Our study finds that the QD perovskites retain their defect tolerance with limited perturbance to the simulated UV-vis spectra. The exception to this general trend is that Br vacancies must be avoided, as they cause molecular orbital localization, resulting in trap states and lower LED performance. Blinking will likely still plague CsPbBr₃ QDs, given that the charged defects critically perturb the spectra via red-shifting and lower absorbance. Our study provides insight into the tunability of CsPbBr₃ QDs optical properties by understanding the nature of the electronic excitations and guiding improved development for high-performance LEDs.

Doping-Induced Charge Localization Suppresses Electron-Hole Recombination in Copper Zinc Tin Sulfide: Quantum Dynamics Combined with Deep Neural Networks Analysis

Nonradiative electron-hole recombination constitutes a major route for charge and energy losses in copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) solar cells. Using a combination of nonadiabatic (NA) molecular dynamics and deep neural networks (DNN), we demonstrated that electron-hole recombination is notably retarded by doping with Ag and Ag+Cd. The replacement of lighter Cu and/or Zn with heavier Ag and/or Cd reduces the NA coupling by separating electron and hole wave functions. Such replacement suppresses atomic motions and makes the phonon modes move to low-frequency region, which reduces NA coupling further but inhibits decoherence. The small magnitudes of NA coupling beat the long coherence time, delaying the electron-hole recombination from the Ag+Cd-codoping to the Ag doping system compared with pristine CZTS. The NA couplings predicted by the DNN algorithm lead to the time scales in agreement with the direct simulations. The study provides a robust strategy to design high-performance CZTS solar cells.

Machine Learning-Assisted Excited State Molecular Dynamics with the State-Interaction State-Averaged Spin-Restricted Ensemble-Referenced Kohn-Sham Approach

We present a machine learning-assisted excited state molecular dynamics (ML-ESMD) based on the ensemble density functional theory framework. Since we represent a diabatic Hamiltonian in terms of generalized valence bond ansatz within the state-interaction state-averaged spin-restricted ensemble-referenced Kohn-Sham (SI-SA-REKS) method, we can avoid singularities near conical intersections, which are crucial in excited state molecular dynamics simulations. We train the diabatic Hamiltonian elements and their analytical gradients with the SchNet architecture to construct machine learning models, while the phase freedom of off-diagonal elements of the Hamiltonian is cured by introducing the phase-less loss function. Our machine learning models show reasonable accuracy with mean absolute errors of ∼0.1 kcal/mol and ∼0.5 kcal/mol/Å for the diabatic Hamiltonian elements and their gradients, respectively, for penta-2,4-dieniminium cation. Moreover, by exploiting the diabatic representation, our models can predict correct conical intersection structures and their topologies. In addition, our ML-ESMD simulations give almost identical result with a direct dynamics at the same level of theory.

Accurate Computation of Nonadiabatic Coupling with Projector Augmented-Wave Pseudopotentials

Synergy of nonadiabatic molecular dynamics with real-time time-dependent density functional theory has led to significant progress in modeling excited-state dynamics in nanoscale and condensed matter systems over the past decade. Nonadiabatic coupling (NAC) is the central quantity in such simulations, and its accurate and efficient evaluation is an enduring challenge in time-dependent Kohn-Sham theory, particularly in conjunction with planewave basis sets and projector augmented-wave (PAW) pseudopotentials because of the complexity of the PAW "all-electron" wave function. We report a method for rigorous evaluation of the NAC with PAW wave functions and demonstrate an efficient approximation to the rigorous NAC that gives comparable accuracy. As a validation, we intensely examine the NAC matrix elements calculated using both pseudo- and all-electron wave functions under the PAW formalism in six representative systems. The approximate NAC obtained with pseudowave functions is close to the exact all-electron NAC, with the largest deviations observed when subshell d-electrons are involved in the transitions. The developed approach provides a rigorous and convenient methodology for the numerical computation of NAC in the Kohn-Sham theory framework.