Effects of local compositional heterogeneity in mixed halide perovskites on blue electroluminescence

Abstract

Compositional heterogeneity is commonly observed in mixed bromide/iodide perovskite photoabsorbers, typically with minimal effects on charge carrier recombination and photovoltaic performance. Consistently, it has so far received very limited attention in bromide/chloride-mixed perovskites, which hold particular significance for blue light-emitting diodes. Here, we uncover that even a minor degree of localized halide heterogeneity leads to severe non-radiative losses in mixed bromide/chloride blue perovskite emitters, presenting a stark contrast to general observations in photovoltaics. We not only provide a visualization of the heterogeneity landscape spanning from micro-to sub-microscale but also identify that this issue mainly arises from the initially formed chloride-rich clusters during perovskite nucleation. Our work sheds light on a long-term neglected factor impeding the advancement of blue light-emitting diodes using mixed halide perovskites and provides a practical strategy to mitigate this issue. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]