The Clean Energy Institute Interdisciplinary Seminar Series was established to bring distinguished leaders in the field of clean energy to campus to present their research and meet students, postdocs, and faculty from departments across the Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Engineering, and the Environment. Organic-Inorganic Perovskites for Photovoltaics and Light Emission Organic-inorganic perovskites are exotic hybrid crystalline materials developed out of curiosity. Unexpectedly, solar cells incorporating these perovskites are rapidly emerging as serious contenders to rival the leading photovoltaic technologies. Power conversion efficiencies have jumped from 3% to over 20% (certified) in just four years of academic research. Closely following the solar cell development, the light-emitting properties of perovskite semiconductors have also been reinvigorated. Here, I will present recent advances to better understand the operation of the state-of-the-art solar cells and the properties that have delivered high performance light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and lasers. I will cover topics including charge carrier diffusion and recombination mechanisms, as well as ion migration and its potential impact on device performance and hysteresis. Understanding these processes is key to further development of the field and to bringing the perovskite technology to commercialization. |