Formation of Hybrid Perovskite Tin Iodide Single Crystals by Top-Seeded Solution Growth

Bulk crystal of tetragonal CH3NH3PbI3 with dimensions of centimeters grown by a temperature-lowering method in HI solution is reported for the first time.

The interfacial atomic and electronic structures, charge transfer processes, and interface engineering in perovskite solar cells are discussed in this review. An effective heterojunction is found to exist at the window/perovskite absorber interface, contributing to the relatively fast extraction of free electrons. Moreover, the high photovoltage in this cell can be attributed to slow interfacial charge recombination due to the outstanding material and interfacial electronic properties. However, some fundamental questions including the interfacial atomic and electronic structures and the interface stability need to be further clarified. Designing and engineering the interfaces are also important for the next-stage development of this cell.

The structural and electrical properties of a metal-halide cubic perovskite, CH(3)NH(3)SnI(3), have been examined. The band structure, obtained using first-principles calculation, reveals a well-defined band gap at the Fermi level. However, the temperature dependence of the single-crystal electrical conductivity shows metallic behavior down to low temperatures. The temperature dependence of the thermoelectric power is also metallic over the whole temperature range, and the large positive value indicates that charge transport occurs with a low concentration of hole carriers. The metallic properties of this as-grown crystal are thus suggested to result from spontaneous hole-doping in the crystallization process, rather than the semi-metal electronic structure. The present study shows that artificial hole doping indeed enhances the conductivity.