Search

Density functional theory in combination with the nonequilibrium Green's function formalism is used to study the electronic transport properties of methylammonium lead-iodide perovskite CH3NH3PbI3. Electronic transport in homogeneous ferroelectric and antiferroelectric phases, both of which do not contain any charged domain walls, is quite similar. The presence of charged domain wall drastically (by about an order of magnitude) enhances the electronic transport in the lateral direction. The increase of the transmission originates from the smaller variation of the electrostatic potential profile along the charged domain walls. This fact may provide a tool for tuning transport properties of such hybrid materials by manipulating molecular cations having dipole moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative material photovoltaics (PVs) have started gaining more attention recently. Although the field is not new, it just started growing a few years ago. The PV market has been dominated by various silicon technologies, besides a few other popular thin films, such as CdTe, copper- indium-galium-selenide varieties and some III-V materials. This has been reflected in research as well. Successful developments of efficient solar cells using alternative absorbers will significantly enrich the PV industry and reduce the market gap with other energy sources. Hence, in this review, recent advances and trends to develop PVs using alternative materials are presented and discussed. The focus will be mainly on binary as well as environmentally friendly compounds and thin film devices. Nonetheless, some other more complex materials and structures will be briefly addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]