A study by Bharat Ratna Professor C N R Rao and his team has revealed the precise atomic rearrangements that occur in each phase transition of lead iodide perovskite due to varying temperature and pressure and their effect on optoelectronic properties. There are consequential effects. Such studies can aid in efficient renewable energy production.
Lead iodide perovskites have attracted much attention in recent years due to their surprisingly good optoelectrical properties, making them excellent solar cell materials. While their energy conversion efficiency can even exceed that of commercial silicon-based solar cells, lead iodide perovskites are not inherently stable materials. Studies have shown that these materials undergo different structural changes (or 'phase changes') even under similar conditions. Temperature and pressure changes can easily modify their crystalline structure as well as alter their physical properties and degrade their performance.
Therefore, in-depth analysis of their reported phase transformations was necessary to understand the current limitations of these materials and then move towards possible solutions.
In a new study, Professor Pratap Vishnoi and Professor C.N.R. from the Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, Rao reviews the current knowledge gaps and recent progress on hybrid lead iodide perovskites. Their study was published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A of the Royal Society of Chemistry and was supported by the Ramanujan Fellowship from the then Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and now the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) of the Government of India.
