Hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite APbX3 pigments, such as methylammonium lead iodide, have recently emerged as excellent light harvesters in solid-state mesoscopic solar cells. An important target for the further improvement of the performance of perovskite-based photovoltaics is to extend their optical-absorption onset further into the red to enhance solar-light harvesting. Herein, we show that this goal can be reached by using a mixture of formamidinium (HN=CHNH3 (+), FA) and methylammonium (CH3 NH3 (+), MA) cations in the A position of the APbI3 perovskite structure. This combination leads to an enhanced short-circuit current and thus superior devices to those based on only CH3 NH3 (+). This concept has not been applied previously in perovskite-based solar cells. It shows great potential as a versatile tool to tune the structural, electrical, and optoelectronic properties of the light-harvesting materials.

In the same way as electron transport is crucial for information technology, ion transport is a key phenomenon in the context of energy research. To be able to tune ion conduction by light would open up opportunities for a wide realm of new applications, but it has been challenging to provide clear evidence for such an effect. Here we show through various techniques, such as transference-number measurements, permeation studies, stoichiometric variations, Hall effect experiments and the use of blocking electrodes, that light excitation enhances by several orders of magnitude the ionic conductivity of methylammonium lead iodide, the archetypal metal halide photovoltaic material. We provide a rationale for this unexpected phenomenon and show that it straightforwardly leads to a hitherto unconsidered photodecomposition path of the perovskite.

The success of perovskite solar cells has sparked enormous excitement in the photovoltaic community not only because of unexpectedly high efficiencies but also because of the future potential ascribed to such crystalline absorber materials. Far from being exhaustively studied in terms of solid-state properties, these materials surprised by anomalies such as a huge apparent low-frequency dielectric constant and pronounced hysteretic current-voltage behavior. Here we show that methylammonium (but also formamidinium) iodoplumbates are mixed conductors with a large fraction of ion conduction because of iodine ions. In particular, we measure and model the stoichiometric polarization caused by the mixed conduction and demonstrate that the above anomalies can be explained by the build-up of stoichiometric gradients as a consequence of ion blocking interfaces. These findings provide insight into electrical charge transport in the hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide solar cells as well as into new possibilities of improving the photovoltaic performance by controlling the ionic disorder.

By applying a multitude of experimental techniques including 1H, 14N, 207Pb NMR and 127I NMR/NQR, tracer diffusion, reaction cell and doping experiments, as well as stoichiometric variation, conductivity, and polarization experiments, iodine ions are unambiguously shown to be the mobile species in CH3NH3PbI3, with iodine vacancies shown to represent the mechanistic centers under equilibrium conditions. Pb2+ and CH3NH3 + ions do not significantly contribute to the long range transport (upper limits for their contributions are given), whereby the latter exhibit substantial local motion. The decisive electronic contribution to the mixed conductivity in the experimental window stems from electron holes. As holes can be associated with iodine orbitals, local variations of the iodine stoichiometry may be fast and enable light effects on ion transport.

The success of perovskite solar cells has sparked enormous excitement in the photovoltaic community not only because of unexpectedly high efficiencies but also because of the future potential ascribed to such crystalline absorber materials.F ar from being exhaustively studied in terms of solid-state properties,t hese materials surprised by anomalies such as ahuge apparent low-frequency dielectric constant and pronounced hysteretic current-voltage behavior.Here we show that methylammonium (but also formamidinium) iodoplumbates are mixed conductors with al arge fraction of ion conduction because of iodine ions.I np articular,w em easure and model the stoichiometric polarization caused by the mixed conduction and demonstrate that the above anomalies can be explained by the build-up of stoichiometric gradients as ac onsequence of ion blocking interfaces.T hese findings providei nsight into electrical charge transport in the hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide solar cells as well as into new possibilities of improving the photovoltaic performance by controlling the ionic disorder.

Hybrid organic–inorganic lead halide perovskite APbX3 pigments, such as methylammonium lead iodide, have recently emerged as excellent light harvesters in solid‐state mesoscopic solar cells. An important target for the further improvement of the performance of perovskite‐based photovoltaics is to extend their optical‐absorption onset further into the red to enhance solar‐light harvesting. Herein, we show that this goal can be reached by using a mixture of formamidinium (HN=CHNH3+, FA) and methylammonium (CH3NH3+, MA) cations in the A position of the APbI3 perovskite structure. This combination leads to an enhanced short‐circuit current and thus superior devices to those based on only CH3NH3+. This concept has not been applied previously in perovskite‐based solar cells. It shows great potential as a versatile tool to tune the structural, electrical, and optoelectronic properties of the light‐harvesting materials.

Thin films of CeO(2) (both nominally pure and 10 mol% gadolinium-doped) grown via pulsed-laser deposition were studied. The electrical conductivity of the samples was measured as a function of thickness, temperature and oxygen partial pressure (pO(2)) using impedance spectroscopy. As expected, undoped CeO(2) exhibits electronic conductivity (with activation energy between 1.4 and 1.6 eV) whereas the highly doped samples are oxygen vacancy conductors (activation energy around 0.7 eV for epitaxial films). In order to investigate the influence of the nature of the substrate the thin films were grown on two different substrates, Al(2)O(3) (0001) and SiO(2) (0001), and compared. While the films grown on SiO(2) exhibit a microstructure characterized by columnar grains, the films grown on Al(2)O(3) are epitaxial. Notably, for films on both substrates the conductivity and activation energy vary with film thickness and exhibit remarkable differences when the films on different substrates are compared. In the case of the polycrystalline films (SiO(2) substrate), the space charge layer effects of the grain boundaries dominate over the substrate-film interface effect. In the case of the epitaxial films (Al(2)O(3) substrate), a small interface effect, probably due to a space charge layer or structural strain, is observed.

Conductivity measurements were performed on microcrystalline and nanocrystalline ceria (undoped and doped) in dry as well as wet atmosphere. Below 200-250 °C, the nanocrystalline samples exhibit an enhanced total conductivity under wet conditions, which increases with decreasing temperature. In addition, thermo-gravimetric analysis revealed a strong water uptake below 200 °C. DC-polarization measurements confirm the ionic character of conductivity in the nanocrystalline samples at low temperatures. The role of both grain boundaries and residual porosity on the enhanced conductivity below 200 °C is discussed.