How polarons spread through a next-gen energy material (IMAGE)

DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

How polarons spread through a next-gen energy material

Caption

An illustration shows polarons - fleeting distortions in a material's atomic lattice - in a promising next-generation energy material, lead hybrid perovskite. Scientists at SLAC and Stanford observed for the first time how these "bubbles" of distortion form around charge carriers - electrons and holes that have been liberated by pulses of light - which are shown as bright spots here. This process may help explain why electrons travel so efficiently in these materials, leading to high solar cell performance.

Credit

Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

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