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Wang J, Long R. Nuclear Quantum Effects Accelerate Charge Recombination but Boost the Stability of Inorganic Perovskites in Mild Humidity. NANO LETTERS 2024; 24:3476-3483. [PMID: 38445608 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c00245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Experiments have demonstrated that mild humidity can enhance the stability of the CsPbBr3 perovskite, though the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Utilizing ab initio molecular dynamics, ring polymer molecular dynamics, and non-adiabatic molecular dynamics, our study reveals that nuclear quantum effects (NQEs) play a crucial role in stabilizing the lattice rigidity of the perovskite while simultaneously shortening the charge carrier lifetime. NQEs reduce the extent of geometric disorder and the number of atomic fluctuations, diminish the extent of hole localization, and thereby improve the electron-hole overlap and non-adiabatic coupling. Concurrently, these effects significantly suppress phonon modes and slow decoherence. As a result, these factors collectively accelerate charge recombination by a factor of 1.42 compared to that in scenarios excluding NQEs. The resulting sub-10 ns recombination time scales align remarkably well with experimental findings. This research offers novel insight into how moisture resistance impacts the stability and charge carrier lifetime in all-inorganic perovskites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Wang
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Theoretical & Computational Photochemistry of Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Run Long
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Theoretical & Computational Photochemistry of Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
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2
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Yang Y, Shi Z, Zhang S, Ma X, Bai J, Fan D, Zang H, Sun X, Li D. Nonradiative Dynamics Induced by Vacancies in Wide-Gap III-Nitrides: Ab Initio Time-Domain Analysis. J Phys Chem Lett 2023:6719-6725. [PMID: 37470335 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c01515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Insightful understanding of defect properties and prevention of defect damage are among the biggest issues in the development of photoelectronic devices based on wide-gap III-nitride semiconductors. Here, we have investigated the vacancy-induced carrier nonradiative dynamics in wide-gap III-nitrides (GaN, AlN, and AlxGa1-xN) by ab initio molecular dynamics and nonadiabatic (NA) quantum dynamics simulations since the considerable defect density in epitaxy samples. E-h recombination is hardly affected by Vcation, which created shallow states near the VBM. Our findings demonstrate that VN in AlN creates defect-assisted nonradiative recombination centers and shortens the recombination time (τ) as in the Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) model. In GaN, VN improves the NA coupling between the CBM and the VBM. Additionally, increasing x in the AlxGa1-xN alloys accelerates nonradiative recombination, which may be an important issue in further improving the IQE of high Al-content AlxGa1-xN alloys. These findings have significant implications for the improvement of wide-gap III-nitrides-based photoelectronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhiming Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, China
| | - Shoufeng Zhang
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Liuzhou 545006, China
| | - Xiaobao Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jiangxiao Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Dashuo Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hang Zang
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, China
| | - Xiaojuan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, China
| | - Dabing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Wang H, Zhou Z, Long R, Prezhdo OV. Passivation of Hematite by a Semiconducting Overlayer Reduces Charge Recombination: An Insight from Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:879-887. [PMID: 36661401 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c03643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Hematite (α-Fe2O3) is a promising photoanode material for photoelectrochemical water splitting. Surface-passivating layers are effective in improving water oxidation kinetics; however, the passivation mechanism is not fully understood due to the complexity of interfacial reactions. Focusing on the Fe-terminated Fe2O3 (0001) surface that exhibits surface states in the band gap, we perform ab initio quantum dynamics simulations to study the effect of an α-Ga2O3 overlayer on charge recombination. The overlayer eliminates surface states and suppresses charge recombination 4-fold. This explains in part the observed cathodic shift in the onset potential for water oxidation. The increased charge carrier lifetime is an outcome of two factors, energy gap and electron-vibrational coupling, with a positive contribution from the former but a negative contribution from the latter. This work presents an advance in the atomistic time-domain understanding of the influence of surface passivation on charge recombination dynamics and provides guidance for designing novel α-Fe2O3 photoanodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Water and Environment, Chang'an University, Xi'an710064, China
| | - Zhaohui Zhou
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Water and Environment, Chang'an University, Xi'an710064, China
| | - Run Long
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Theoretical & Computational Photochemistry of Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing100875, China
| | - Oleg V Prezhdo
- Deparment of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California90089, United States
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Zhang P, Chang B, Xue T, Ding RX, Tong CJ, Hou Z, Li W. Mixed Sulfur/Selenium Anions Weaken Electron-Vibrational Interaction in Cu 2ZnSn(S,Se) 4 Photoabsorber. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:107-115. [PMID: 36574224 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c03631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar absorbers have attracted intensive investigations for next-generation photovoltaic applications. Here, by using ab initio static and molecular dynamics simulations, we investigated the anion compositional dependence of electron-vibration interaction in CZTSSe materials. We found that the conduction band fluctuates more than the valence band, and as a result, the band gap variation is more sensitive to the change of the former, which can be understood in terms of p-d hybridization in the valence bands. Electron-phonon coupling is smaller in CZTSSe alloy compared to pure S- or Se-containing structures, as evidenced by the smaller fluctuation of excitation energy, and can be attributed to the weaker structural dynamics of the metal-anion bond. Small electron-phonon coupling strength may lead to better charge transport in these materials. We also elucidated the interplay between disordered structures and S/Se stoichiometry through analysis of optical line width. The results highlight the importance of anion composition engineering and provide new insights into the rational design of high-performing kesterite absorbers for solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pingzhi Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha410128, China
| | - Bojun Chang
- College of Landscape Architecture and Art Design, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha410128, China
| | - Ting Xue
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha410128, China
| | - Rui-Xue Ding
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Nanophotonics and Devices, Hunan Key Laboratory of Super-Microstructure and Ultrafast Process, School of Physics and Electronics, Central South University, Changsha410083, China
| | - Chuan-Jia Tong
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Nanophotonics and Devices, Hunan Key Laboratory of Super-Microstructure and Ultrafast Process, School of Physics and Electronics, Central South University, Changsha410083, China
| | - Zhufeng Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou350002, China
| | - Wei Li
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha410128, China
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Zhao X, Vasenko AS, Prezhdo OV, Long R. Anion Doping Delays Nonradiative Electron-Hole Recombination in Cs-Based All-Inorganic Perovskites: Time Domain ab Initio Analysis. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:11375-11382. [PMID: 36454707 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c03072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
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 CsPbI1.88BrAc0.12 > 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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Zhao
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Theoretical & Computational Photochemistry of Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Andrey S Vasenko
- HSE University, 101000Moscow, Russia
- I. E. Tamm Department of Theoretical Physics, P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991Moscow, Russia
| | - Oleg V Prezhdo
- Departments of Chemistry, and Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California90089, United States
| | - Run Long
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Theoretical & Computational Photochemistry of Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing100875, People's Republic of China
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Wang B, Chu W, Wu Y, Casanova D, Saidi WA, Prezhdo OV. Electron-Volt Fluctuation of Defect Levels in Metal Halide Perovskites on a 100 ps Time Scale. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:5946-5952. [PMID: 35732502 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c01452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have gained considerable attention due to their excellent optoelectronic performance, which is often attributed to unusual defect properties. We demonstrate that midgap defect levels can exhibit very large and slow energy fluctuations associated with anharmonic acoustic motions. Therefore, care should be taken classifying MHP defects as deep or shallow, since shallow defects may become deep and vice versa. As a consequence, charges from deep levels can escape into bands, and light absorption can be extended to longer wavelengths, improving material performance. The phenomenon, demonstrated with iodine vacancy in CH3NH3PbI3 using a machine learning force field, can be expected for a variety of defects and dopants in many MHPs and other soft inorganic semiconductors. Since large-scale anharmonic motions can be precursors to chemical decomposition, a known problem with MHPs, we propose that materials that are stiffer than MHPs but softer than traditional inorganic semiconductors, such as Si and TiO2, may simultaneously exhibit excellent performance and stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bipeng Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Weibin Chu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Yifan Wu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - David Casanova
- Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Donostia, 20018 Euskadi, Spain
- Basque Foundation for Science, IKERBASQUE, Bilbao, 48009 Euskadi, Spain
| | - Wissam A Saidi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Oleg V Prezhdo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
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Shakiba M, Stippell E, Li W, Akimov AV. Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics with Extended Density Functional Tight-Binding: Application to Nanocrystals and Periodic Solids. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:5157-5180. [PMID: 35758936 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In this work, we report a new methodology for nonadiabatic molecular dynamics calculations within the extended tight-binding (xTB) framework. We demonstrate the applicability of the developed approach to finite and periodic systems with thousands of atoms by modeling "hot" electron relaxation dynamics in silicon nanocrystals and electron-hole recombination in both a graphitic carbon nitride monolayer and a titanium-based metal-organic framework (MOF). This work reports the nonadiabatic dynamic simulations in the largest Si nanocrystals studied so far by the xTB framework, with diameters up to 3.5 nm. For silicon nanocrystals, we find a non-monotonic dependence of "hot" electron relaxation rates on the nanocrystal size, in agreement with available experimental reports. We rationalize this relationship by a combination of decreasing nonadiabatic couplings related to system size and the increase of available coherent transfer pathways in systems with higher densities of states. We emphasize the importance of proper treatment of coherences for obtaining such non-monotonic dependences. We characterize the electron-hole recombination dynamics in the graphitic carbon nitride monolayer and the Ti-containing MOF. We demonstrate the importance of spin-adaptation and proper sampling of surface hopping trajectories in modeling such processes. We also assess several trajectory surface hopping schemes and highlight their distinct qualitative behavior in modeling the excited-state dynamics in superexchange-like models depending on how they handle coherences between nearly parallel states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Shakiba
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
| | - Elizabeth Stippell
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Wei Li
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Alexey V Akimov
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
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Zhan J, Yang J, Xie X, Prezhdo OV, Li W. Interplay of structural fluctuations and charge carrier dynamics is key for high performance of hybrid lead halide perovskites. Inorg Chem Front 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d2qi01482c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Interplay of organic cation rotation and inorganic lattice fluctuation maintains the high performance of hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Zhan
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Jack Yang
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Materials and Manufacturing Futures Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Xiaoyin Xie
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, China
| | - Oleg V. Prezhdo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA
| | - Wei Li
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
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