Differences in photoinduced optical transients in perovskite absorbers for solar cells

Methylammonium lead iodide films and powdered crystals were studied by time-resolved absorption and emission spectroscopy on the time scales from femtoseconds to nanoseconds. Strikingly different transient absorption signals were observed, changing from strong long-wavelength band-edge bleach to weak signatures of band-shift, which depended on the absorber form (films or polycrystals) and preparation method (stoichiometric or non-stoichiometric). The observed differences were correlated with the variation in absorption and emission spectra, changes in photo-induced carrier lifetimes and solar cell efficiency. These differences also pointed out that similar perovskite absorbers can provide significantly different transient responses and emphasize that special care must be taken when interpolating the obtained findings to the processes occurring in the most efficient devices.