This collaborative report, that includes the Rappe and Toney Groups from IMOD, describes findings that could lead to the development of better hybrid lead halide perovskites, a class of materials that are foundational for proposed low-cost high-efficiency solar cells.

There has been a great deal of research on how these materials are made, and different applications of these materials, but this work addresses a more complex challenge, looking at why the perovskites behave the way they do – investigating the structure-function relationship. In other words, how does changing the structure of the material influence the bulk properties of the device.

The lessons gained from this work are important to include as researchers refine these hybrid materials for future generations of optoelectronic materials and their incorporation into devices.