Out-of-Plane Mechanical Properties of 2D Hybrid Organic–Inorganic Perovskites by Nanoindentation
NUANCE Center Director Professor Vinayak P. Dravid, along with technical staff members Gajendra Shekhawat and Qing Tu, participated in a recent study regarding the photovoltaic performance of 2D layered hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites, or HOIPs.
The high solar power conversion efficiency of HOIPS has led to significant interest in their application towards photovoltaic purposes. However, much of this interest has been directed towards 3D HOIPS, which are prone to poor stability in the presence of moisture, oxygen, and UV light. This has resulted in a limited use of 3D HOIPS in commercial photovoltaic applications.
2D HOIPs, in contrast, are composed of a structure with alternating organic and inorganic layers. This unique structure results in greater stability and improved photovoltaic performance when compared to their 3D counterparts.
Qing Tu, a technical staff member of the NUANCE Center, was able to explain the significance of the study.
“The mechanical properties of [2D] materials are both fundamentally and practically important to achieve both high performance and mechanically stable devices,” he explained. “In this publication, we report the mechanical properties of a series of 2D layered lead iodide HOIPs and unveil the role of structural subunits in the mechanical properties. Our work shed light on routes to further tune the out-of-plane mechanical properties of 2D layered HOIPs.”
This study made use of the SPID facility of the NUANCE Center. Support for NUANCE Center was given by the SHyNE Resource, the MRSEC Program, and the International Institute of Nanotechnology (IIN), as well as several other benefactors. The full publication can be read here.
