###Photoemission studies of halide perovskite materials
Project ID: 2228bd1172 (You will need this ID for your application)
Research Theme: Advanced Materials
UCL Lead department: Chemistry
Lead Supervisor: Robert Palgrave
Project Summary:
Halide perovskites are some of the most important compounds in current materials chemistry research. They are able to form highly efficient solar cells, with superior properties to conventional silicon absorbers, but halide perovskites also have many other applications as luminescent materials, X-ray detectors, catalysts, to name a few. They are likely to be key materials for the transition to renewable energy, and their exceptional properties may lead to fundamental changes in materials chemistry theory.
Understanding their remarkable properties requires detailed knowledge of their electronic structure, surface and interface properties, and their dynamic changes under operational conditions. One of the key techniques for characterising halide perovskites is photoemission spectroscopy. This technique can probe the sample surface, and give information on composition, electronic structure and bonding. Photoemission spectroscopy is a key method for unlocking these questions, but many fundamental issues are still unresolved - for example: how stable are different perovskites under photoemission measurement conditions? What electron energy loss mechanisms are important in perovskites and what information can be gained from them? What is the best way to model core lines to correctly interpret changes in oxidation state and bonding? What is the best way to carry out depth profiling?
This project will address these questions and more. We already collaborate with leading perovskite growers (Stranks lab, Cambridge, Haque Lab, Imperial College) and so will have access to world class perovskite samples. Photoemission spectroscopy will be carried out at UCL, and at the national XPS facility at Harwell. Additional use will be made of photoemission beam lines at synchrotrons as appropriate. This project would suit a student with a background in chemistry, physics or materials science, who wishes to work on fundamental characterisation of materials, and who has an interest in renewable energy and related fields.