Approaching Bulk Carrier Dynamics in Organo-Halide Perovskite Nanocrystalline Films by Surface Passivation

The electronic properties of organo-halide perovskite absorbers described in the literature have been closely associated with their morphologies and processing conditions. However, the underlying origins of this dependence remain unclear. A combination of inorganic synthesis, surface chemistry, and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy was used to show that charge recombination centers in organo-halide perovskites are almost exclusively localized on the surfaces of the crystals rather than in the bulk. Passivation of these surface defects causes average charge carrier lifetimes in nanocrystalline thin films to approach the bulk limit reported for single-crystal organo-halide perovskites. These findings indicate that the charge carrier lifetimes of perovskites are correlated with their thin-film processing conditions and morphologies through the influence these have on the surface chemistry of the nanocrystals. Therefore, surface passivation may provide a means to decouple the electronic properties of organo-halide perovskites from their thin-film processing conditions and corresponding morphologies.