RII Track-4: Novel Electrochemistry in Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Perovskite Materials

对新型半导体材料的基本了解是未来各种智能应用功能电子学发展的关键。有机-无机杂化卤化物钙钛矿材料(HOIP)是近年来出现的一类新型半导体材料，在太阳能电池和发光器件等功能电子器件中具有广阔的应用前景。然而，目前对高性能锂离子电池的基本固态电化学性质知之甚少，这阻碍了钙钛矿技术的发展。该项目通过结合布朗大学和国家可再生能源实验室的独特专业知识和能力来应对这一挑战。通过合作活动，将建立一个探索HOIP电化学的新的研究平台，这将导致钙钛矿领域许多长期存在的谜团的决定性答案，从而对清洁能源技术的发展产生重大影响。此外，该项目将有助于显著加强国际和平研究所在罗德岛的研究能力和整体研究基础设施。它还将为布朗大学和罗德岛其他研究所的本科生和研究生提供机会，在未来探索更多的科学学科。本项目的目标是阐明有机-无机卤化物钙钛矿杂化材料(HOIP)中的关键电化学现象及其与钙钛矿太阳能电池(PSCs)性能的关系。这一目标的实现对于理解在HOIP中观察到的许多特殊行为(如巨型可开关光伏效应、光电流滞后)将是至关重要的。这对于将HOIP的应用扩展到新的电子和离子电子学领域也具有重要的意义。通过结合经典的电化学方法(基于Tuband池)和先进的材料表征方法，将建立一个新的研究平台来阐明HOIPs的内在电化学性质。这将有助于确定准确的离子迁移类型、离子迁移耐受机制以及HOIP与其他相关器件接触材料的离子反应性。此外，还将研究微结构对HOIPs电化学性能的影响，这将与PSCs的性能相关。在这些基本认识的基础上，为控制电化学行为和提高PSC性能，将合成具有工程化微结构的HOIPs。基于这项研究建立的方法论将对理解离子-电子混合半导体及其设备应用的广泛家族产生深远影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Fundamental understandings of new semiconductor materials are key to the development of future functional electronics for various smart applications. Hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskites (HOIP) have recently emerged as a new family of semiconductor materials with exceptional promise for various functional electronics such as solar cells and light-emitting devices. However, the fundamental solid-state electrochemistry of HOIPs has been less understood, which retards the progress of perovskite technologies. This project addresses this challenge by combining the unique expertise and capacity from Brown University and National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Through the collaborative activities, a novel research platform for exploring the HOIP electrochemistry will be established, which will lead to decisive answers to many long-standing mysteries in the perovskite field and thus have great impacts on the development of clean-energy technologies. Furthermore, this project will contribute to significant enhancement in the PI's research capacity and overall research infrastructure in Rhode Island. It will also provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at Brown University and other institutes in Rhode Island to explore more science subjects in the future. The goal of this project is to elucidate the key electrochemistry phenomena in hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskite (HOIP) materials and their correlation to the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Attainment of this goal will be of vital importance for understanding many exceptional behaviors (e.g. giant switchable photovoltaic effects, photocurrent hysteresis) that have been observed in HOIPs. It will also have strong implication for extending the applications of HOIPs to new electronics and iontronics. A new research platform for clarifying the intrinsic electrochemical properties of HOIPs will be established by combining classical electrochemistry methods (based on Tubandt cell) and advanced materials-characterization approaches. This will contribute to the determination of exact migrating ion types, ion-migration tolerance mechanisms, and ion reactivity of HOIPs with other related device contact materials. Further, the effect of microstructures on the electrochemistry of HOIPs will be investigated, which will be correlated to the performance of PSCs. Based on all these fundamental understandings, engineered microstructures of HOIPs will be synthesized for controlled electrochemical behavior and enhanced PSC performance. The established methodology based on this research will have far-reaching impacts on understanding the broad family of mixed ion-electronic semiconductors and their device applications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.