Ferroelectric Properties in Halide Perovskite Solar Cells

The ferroelectric behaviour of lead halide perovskites has emerged as a pivotal factor in understanding and optimising the performance of next-generation photovoltaic devices. Ferroelectricity in these materials manifests through spontaneous electrical polarisation that can be reversed under an applied electric field, often coexisting with ferroelastic strain due to their layered ABX3 structures. In perovskite solar cells, the interplay between polar domains, ferroelastic twin boundaries and charge carrier dynamics has been linked to enhancements in open-circuit voltage, suppression of non-radiative recombination and the mitigation of current–voltage hysteresis. Detailed nanoscale imaging and spectroscopic methods have revealed that ferroelastic domains can serve as conduits for charge separation, while charged domain walls influence local conductivity by accumulating carriers. The reversible switching of polar regions under bias further contributes to stabilising device operation. Despite ongoing debates regarding the intrinsic polar nature of methylammonium lead halides, a growing body of work points to antiferroelectric or hybrid polar phases under operational conditions, underscoring the complex ferroic landscape of these semiconductors. The global significance of ferroelectric phenomena in halide perovskites extends beyond photovoltaics to optoelectronics and energy conversion, offering routes to tailor material responses through domain engineering and compositional tuning.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A recent study has demonstrated that the application of an electric field to twinning-tetragonal methylammonium lead mixed-halide films leads to ferroelastic lattice deformation, which correlates with a marked reduction in non-radiative recombination and an increase in open-circuit voltage. Microscopic characterisation confirmed self-stabilisable lattice polarisation at domain walls, facilitating charge separation. Investigations into the role of ferroelastic twin boundaries have shown these interfaces to be electronically benign, allowing unhindered charge transport and minimal recombination compared with regular grain boundaries. Light and bias stimuli have been shown to modulate periodic ferroelastic domain arrays within perovskite grains, with domain spacing and strain disorder varying under illumination or electrical bias. Such structural reconfigurations are implicated in current–voltage hysteresis and point towards domain modulation as a strategy for device optimisation.

Ferroelectric Properties in Halide Perovskite Solar Cells publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ferroelectric properties in halide perovskite solar cells across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Ferroelectricity: The property of having a spontaneous electric dipole moment that can be reversed by an external electric field.

Ferroelasticity: The characteristic of reversible mechanical strain domains that reorient under stress or bias.

Twin domain: A region within a crystal separated by a boundary from another region of mirror-oriented lattice.

Polarisation: Net alignment of electric dipoles within a material, resulting in an internal electric field.

Hysteresis: The lagging of material response (polarisation or current) behind an applied electric field, often visualised as a looped curve.

References

1. Suppressing non-radiative recombination in metal halide perovskite solar cells by synergistic effect of ferroelasticity. Nature Communications (2023).
2. Benign ferroelastic twin boundaries in halide perovskites for charge carrier transport and recombination. Nature Communications (2020).
3. Light- and bias-induced structural variations in metal halide perovskites. Nature Communications (2019).
4. Advancements and challenges in molecular/hybrid perovskites for piezoelectric nanogenerator application: A comprehensive review. Nano Energy (2024).
5. Ferroic domains regulate photocurrent in single-crystalline CH3NH3PbI3 films self-grown on FTO/TiO2 substrate. npj Quantum Materials (2018).
6. Molecular ferroelectric contributions to anomalous hysteresis in hybrid perovskite solar cells. APL Materials (2014).
7. Antiferroelectric Nature of CH3NH3PbI3−xClx Perovskite and Its Implication for Charge Separation in Perovskite Solar Cells. Scientific Reports (2016).
8. Domain Walls Conductivity in Hybrid Organometallic Perovskites and Their Essential Role in CH3NH3PbI3 Solar Cell High Performance. Scientific Reports (2015).