A Purdue University-led research team discovered that adding a rigid bulky molecule ' bithiophenylethylammonium ' to the surface of a perovskite stabilizes the movement of ions, preventing chemical bonds from breaking easily. The researchers also demonstrated that adding this molecule makes a perovskite stable enough to form clean atomic junctions with other perovskites, allowing them to stack and integrate.
'If an engineer wanted to combine the best parts about perovskite A with the best parts about perovskite B, that typically can't happen because the perovskites would just mix together,' said Brett Savoie, a Purdue assistant professor of chemical engineering. 'In this case, you really can get the best of A and B in a single material. That is completely unheard of.'
These findings also mean that it could be possible to incorporate perovskites into computer chips, the researchers said in a statement. Transistors rely on junctions to control electrical current. A pattern of perovskites might allow the chip to perform more functions than with just one material.
