Researchers at Duke University have developed a method to create otherwise unattainable (or extremely hard to create) hybrid thin-film materials. The new technique could open the door to new generations of solar cells, light-emitting diodes and photodetectors.

The most common perovskite used in solar energy today, methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3), can convert light to energy as well as today's best commercially available solar panels. This can even be done using a fraction of the material - a piece 100 times thinner than a typical silicon-based solar cell. Methylammonium lead iodide is one of the few perovskites that can be created using standard industry production techniques, though it still has issues with scalability and durability. To truly unlock the potential of perovskites, however, new manufacturing methods are needed because the mixture of organic and inorganic molecules in a complex crystalline structure can be difficult to make. Organic elements are particularly delicate, but are critical to the hybrid material's ability to absorb and emit light effectively.