Solution-Processed Bismuth Halide Perovskite Thin Films: Influence of Deposition Conditions and A-Site Alloying on Morphology and Optical Properties

Abstract

Bismuth-based halide perovskites have been proposed as a potential nontoxic alternative to lead halide perovskites; however, they have not realized suitable performance. Their poor performance has been attributed to substandard film morphologies and too wide of a band gap for many applications. Herein we used a two-step deposition procedure to convert BiI₃ thin films into A₃Bi₂I₉ (A = FA⁺, MA⁺, Cs⁺, or Rb⁺), which resulted in a substantial improvement in film morphology, a larger band gap, and greater compositional tunability compared toresults when using aconventional single-step deposition technique. Additionally, we attempted to reduce the undesirably wide band gap in Rb₃Bi₂I₉thin films by inducing chemical pressures through cation-size mismatch, with an underlying hypothesis that cation-size mismatch could induce compressive strain within the 2D Rb₃Bi₂I₉ lattice. However, we found that all A _xRb_{3- x}Bi₂I₉ compositions with x > 0 adopted the 0D structure, and no changes to the band gap were observed with alloy. These results imply that the band gap of A _xRb_{3- x}Bi₂I₉is insensitive to A-site alloying.