Crystal Sunrise
J. Clay Hamill, Jr. (graduate student) and Yueh-Lin Loo (faculty)
Chemical and Biological Engineering, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) are an exciting class of materials that have demonstrated promise in high-efficiency, next-generation light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and solar photovoltaics (PVs). HOIPs are solution-processable, meaning that the precursors can be dissolved in common organic solvents and subsequently coated on large-area substrates. In our study of the chemistry of HOIP precursor solutions, we found a facile route to grow single crystals of the HOIP methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) by employing solvents with a lower electron-donating ability relative to those conventionally used to form stable precursor solutions. The crystal shown above is 150 micrometers across and was grown within a precursor solution droplet; streaks along the fringes are formed upon drying of unreacted precursors.