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Computational Study of Defect variant Perovskites A2BX6 for Photovoltaic Applications

A comprehensive study of the structural, electronic, and optical properties of lead-free perovskites has been carried out by means of first principles method based on DFT. The calculations are performed for the compound of the type A2BX6 with A=Rb, and Cs; B=Sn, Pd, and Pt; and X=Cl, Br, and I. The calculated structural parameters (lattice constants and bond lengths) agree well with the experiments. The computed band gap reveals a semiconducting profile for all these compounds showing a decreasing trend of the band gap energy by changing the halide ions consecutively from Cl to Br and Br to I. However, for variation in the B-site cation, the band gap increases by changing the cation from Pd to Pt via Sn. The most likely compounds, Rb2PdBr6 and Cs2PtI6, exhibit a band gap within the optimal range of 0.9-1.6 eV for single-junction photovoltaic applications. The optical properties in terms of the optimal value of the dielectric constant, optical conductivity, and absorption coefficient are also investigated upto the photon energy of 10 eV. Our results indicate that upon changing the halogen ions (Cl by Br and Br by I) the optical properties altered significantly. Maximum dielectric constants and high optical absorption are found for Rb2PdI6 and Cs2PtI6. The unique optoelectronic properties such as ideal band gap, high dielectric constants, and optimum absorption of A2BX6 perovskites could be efficiently utilized in designing high performance single and multi-junction perovskite solar cells.