--- title: "Perovskite semiconductor thin films developed with reduced defects" url: https://newscentral.site/perovskite-semiconductor-thin-films-developed-with-reduced-defects/ language: en publisher: "News Central Site" section: "Science" published: 2026-11-08T22:00:01.000Z updated: 2026-11-09T03:41:40.672Z id: 858f7391-d09c-4e9f-a1e1-2f765b61bb30 source: "Phys.org https://phys.org/news/2026-11-liquid-crystal-growth-perovskite-defects.html" attribution: "Link to https://newscentral.site/perovskite-semiconductor-thin-films-developed-with-reduced-defects/ and name News Central Site when you quote or summarize this story." --- # Perovskite semiconductor thin films developed with reduced defects A team of researchers has made a breakthrough in developing high-performance perovskite semiconductor thin films with greatly reduced defects, paving the way for more efficient solar cells and LEDs. A team of researchers has made a breakthrough in developing high-performance perovskite semiconductor thin films with greatly reduced defects. The achievement is significant as it paves the way for more efficient solar cells and LEDs. The perovskite material platform offers low manufacturing costs and simple processing, making it an attractive option for next-generation electronic devices. This versatility has led to a surge in interest in using perovskites in both solar cells that convert light into electricity and LEDs that convert electricity into light. However, the formation of microscopic crystal grains during solidification often leads to defects at grain boundaries and surfaces. These imperfections can trap or eliminate photogenerated charge carriers, resulting in reduced device performance and operational lifetime. The team's innovative approach involves using a liquid-assisted crystal growth method to minimize these defects. By carefully controlling the solidification process, the researchers were able to create high-performance perovskite thin films with significantly fewer imperfections. The researchers turned their attention to a phenomenon known as eutectic melting, where combining certain materials can significantly lower their collective melting point. Specifically, they focused on the combination of methylammonium chloride (MACl) and zinc halide (ZnX₂), which have relatively high individual melting temperatures. When the perovskite film was gently heated to around 100°C, a liquid layer formed at the grain boundaries. This transformation enabled atoms to diffuse much faster than in a solid state, allowing small crystal grains to merge and grow into larger crystals with fewer defects. The presence of MACl facilitated rapid crystal growth, while zinc helped suppress defects by segregating towards the grain boundaries. As thermal annealing took place, MACl evaporated, leaving behind a cleaner crystal structure. As a result, the researchers obtained perovskite thin films with exceptional quality, rivaling those of passivated silicon in terms of performance. The charge-carrier lifetime reached approximately 295 μs and surface recombination velocity was reduced to 0.3 cm/s, marking significant improvements over previous reports for lead halide perovskites. The new crystal growth method has yielded significant improvements in the performance of perovskite solar cells and LEDs. Solar cells fabricated using these films have achieved a power conversion efficiency of 26.5%, along with an open-circuit voltage of 1.208 V. This certified record for solar cells with the same n-i-p architecture demonstrates the potential of this technology to revolutionize the field of renewable energy. The achievement of such high performance in both solar cells and LEDs suggests that a single device structure can function as either a power-generating or light-emitting device, opening up new possibilities for optoelectronic applications. According to Dr. Seongsik Nam, co-first author of the study, reducing surface recombination velocity is crucial for improving perovskite thin films. The new method has achieved a record-low surface recombination velocity of 0.3 cm/s, comparable to that of silicon. Professor Shin emphasized that the novelty of this research lies in its development of a crystal-growth method based on a volatile eutectic mixture, which fundamentally reduces defects in perovskites. This approach requires no expensive specialized equipment and is expected to find broad applications across various fields. The study on liquid-assisted crystal growth has shown promising results for reducing defects in perovskite materials used in solar cells and LEDs. This innovative approach involves using a volatile eutectic solvent to control the crystallization process of perovskites, allowing researchers to tailor the material's properties. The use of this technique is expected to have broad applications across various fields due to its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. The method has been successfully tested in laboratory settings, with promising results for efficient solar cells and LEDs. With further research and development, it may soon be possible to harness the full potential of perovskite materials in a wide range of optoelectronic devices. Liquid-assisted crystal growth is poised to make a significant impact on the field of perovskite optoelectronics, offering new avenues for researchers and industry experts alike. --- Source: [Phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-liquid-crystal-growth-perovskite-defects.html) Published by News Central Site: https://newscentral.site/perovskite-semiconductor-thin-films-developed-with-reduced-defects/