Real-Time Electron and Hole Transport Dynamics in Halide Perovskite Nanowires

For optoelectronic devices, high transport mobilities of electrons and holes are desirable, which, moreover, should be close to identical. Acousto-optoelectric spectroscopy is employed to probe the spatiotemporal dynamics of both electrons and holes inside CsPbI₃ nanowires. These dynamics are induced without the need for electrical contacts simply by the piezoelectric field of a surface acoustic wave. Its radio frequency of f_SAW = 324 MHz natively avoids spurious contributions from ion migration typically occurring in these materials. The observed dynamic modulation of the photoluminescence is faithfully reproduced by solving the drift and diffusion currents of electrons and holes induced by the surface acoustic wave. These calculations confirm that the mobilities of electrons and holes are equal and quantify them to be μ_e = μ_h = 3 ± 1 cm² V^-1 s^-1. Additionally, carrier loss due to surface recombination is shown to be largely suppressed in CsPbI₃ nanowires. Both findings mark significant advantages over traditional compound semiconductors, in particular, GaAs, for applications in future optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. The demonstrated sublifetime modulation of the optical emission may find direct application in switchable perovskite light-emitting devices employing mature surface acoustic wave technology.