Perovskite thin film materials stabilized and enhanced by zinc(II) doping

Recent work of ten different groups shows that the application of zinc-halides in lead perovskite materials results in a contraction of the d-space, stronger interaction with the organic cation, improved crystallization with larger crystal domains, a Goldschmidt factor closer to unity, smoother and denser thin films and an even distribution of Zn(II) (at the Pb(II) sites) throughout the material. These combined effects may lead to: (1) a substantially higher stability (even at ambient or high humidity conditions); (2) enhanced luminescent properties; (3) a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the corresponding solar cell devices (up to PCE ~20%, with enhancement factors of 1.07 to 1.33 relative to undoped material).