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Advanced Characterization Techniques

With different advanced characterization techniques, we examine the microstructure, nanostructure, and chemical properties of lead halide perovskites correlated to the electrical performance of the solar cell. For example, the following figure shows advanced characterization to study and understand the fundamental structure-properties:

Advanced characterization to study and understand the fundamental structure-properties

Through in-situ characterization methods, we study the effect of different external stimuli on degradation pathways to understand and optimize stability in perovskites for solar cells.

GIWAXS pattern of a lead halide perovskite with crystallographic preferred orientation

Synchrotron-based grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS), with in-situ and high-throughput capabilities, is one of our core techniques to characterize the microstructure of polycrystalline thin films.

Synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray beam induced current (XBIC) microscopy are used to correlate the elemental composition with the induced current in devices.

XRF correlated to XBIC of a Cs-FA lead halide perovskite solar cell after exposed to humidity.

Cathodoluminescence SEM (CL-SEM) is used to correlate morphology and phase segregation of lead halide perovskites and thin films.

CL-SEM allows degradation to be mapped and correlated with the physical morphology of the perovskite thin film.
Details and References

We use synchrotron-based GIWAXS and XRF-XBIC characterization techniques as essential methods to characterize the lead halide perovskite thin films, and solar cells fabricated in our lab. In addition, we are exploring other advanced characterization techniques to learn more about the fundamental properties that control the material's properties such as CL-SEM, TEM, SAXS, GISAXS, and other neutron techniques.

Group memebers: Diana, Juanita

  1. GIWAXS https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.2c02419
  2. GIWAXS https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202270350
  3. GIWAXS https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.2c02272
  4. GIWAXS/XRF https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c02036
  5. GIWAXS/XRF https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.1c03093
  6. GIWAXS https://doi.org/10.1039/D1EE02691G
  7. XRF https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.9b11637
  8. GIWAXS, XRF-XBIC https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.0c01964