Metal-halide perovskites have quickly advanced in the last decade since their discovery as a semiconductor that outshines silicon in its conversion of light into electric current.
Metal-halide perovskites have quickly advanced in the last decade since their discovery as a semiconductor that outshines silicon in its conversion of light into electric current.
Simulations on TACC's Frontera and Lonestar6 supercomputers have revealed surprising vortex structures in quasiparticles of electrons and atoms, called polarons, which contribute to generating electricity from sunlight.
This new discovery can help scientists develop new solar cells and LED lighting. This type of lighting is hailed as eco-friendly, sustainable technology that can reshape the future of illumination.
“We found that electrons form localized, narrow wave packets, which are known as polarons. These ‘lumps of charge’ — the quasiparticle polarons — endow perovskites with peculiar properties,” said Feliciano Giustino, professor of Physics and W. A. ‘Tex’ Moncrief, Jr. Chair of Quantum Materials Engineering at the College of Natural Sciences and core faculty at the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (Oden Institute) at UT Austin.
Read more at University of Texas at Austin
Image: Skyrmion-like large hole polaron in the halide double perovskite Cs2AgBiBr6. The arrows show the atomic displacements, and the hole is at the center of this vortex. The displacement field has defined topological character, with integer topological charge and vorticity. (Credit: J. Lafuente-Bartolome)
