Researchers at Japan's OIST, in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh in the U.S., have characterized the structural defects that prompt the movement of ions, destabilizing perovskite materials. The researchers' findings may help optimize perovskite solar cells.
This image of a perovskite surface shows the shifting of ions across the surface, and the vacancies causing these movements. Image by OIST
"For a long time, scientists have known structural defects exist, but didn't understand their precise chemical nature," said Collin Stecker, an OIST Ph.D. student and the first author of the study. "Our study delves into fundamental characteristics of perovskite materials to help device engineers further improve them."