The Interplay Between Lead Vacancy and Water Rationalizes the Puzzle of Charge Carrier Lifetimes in CH3NH3PbI3: Time‐Domain Ab Initio Analysis

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition Vol. 59; no. 32; pp. 13347 - 13353
• Main Authors: Qiao, Lu, Fang, Wei‐Hai, Long, Run
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 03.08.2020
• Edition: International ed. in English
• Subjects: Carrier lifetime; charge trapping and recombination; Coupling (molecular); Current carriers; lead vacancy; Molecular dynamics; nonadiabatic molecular dynamics; organic–inorganic perovskites; Perovskites; Photovoltaic cells; Recombination; Solar cells; time-dependent DFT; Vacancies; Water chemistry; lead vacancy and humidity; charge trapping and recombination; time-dependent density functional theory; Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites; nonadiabatic molecular dynamics
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202004192

The perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 excited‐state lifetimes exhibit conflicting experimental results under humid environments. Using ab initio nonadiabatic (NA) molecular dynamics, we demonstrate that the interplay between lead vacancy and water can rationalize the puzzle. The lead vacancy reduces NA coupling by localizing holes, slowing electron–hole recombination. By creating a deep electron trap state, the coexistence of a neutral lead vacancy and water molecules enhances NA coupling, accelerating charge recombination by a factor of over 3. By eliminating the mid‐gap state by accepting two photoexcited electrons, the negatively charged lead vacancy interacting with water molecules increases the carrier lifetime over 2 times longer than in the pristine system. The simulations rationalize the positive and negative effects of water on the solar cell performance exposure to humidity. The interplay between lead vacancy and water rationalizes the positive and negative effects of water on the charge carrier lifetimes in the organic–inorganic perovskite MAPbI3. The obtained results provide a theoretical understanding of how the complex charge dynamics in perovskites are affected by defects and water.