[Report] Extremely efficient internal exciton dissociation through edge states in layered 2D perovskites
Understanding and controlling charge and energy flow in state-of-the-art semiconductor quantum wells has enabled high-efficiency optoelectronic devices. Two-dimensional (2D) Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites are solution-processed quantum wells wherein the band gap can be tuned by varying the perovskite-layer thickness, which modulates the effective electron-hole confinement. We report that, counterintuitive to classical quantum-confined systems where photogenerated electrons and holes are strongly bound by Coulomb interactions or excitons, the photophysics of thin films made of Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites with a thickness exceeding two perovskite-crystal units (>1.3 nanometers) is dominated by lower-energy states associated with the local intrinsic electronic structure of the edges of the perovskite layers. These states provide a direct pathway for dissociating excitons into longer-lived free carriers that substantially improve the performance of optoelectronic devices. Authors: J.-C. Blancon, H. Tsai, W. Nie, C. C. Stoumpos, L. Pedesseau, C. Katan, M. Kepenekian, C. M. M. Soe, K. Appavoo, M. Y. Sfeir, S. Tretiak, P. M....