CH₃NH₃PbCl₃ Single Crystals: Inverse Temperature Crystallization and Visible-Blind UV-Photodetector

Abstract

Single crystals of hybrid perovskites have shown remarkably improved physical properties compared to their polycrystalline film counterparts, underscoring their importance in the further development of advanced semiconductor devices. Here we present a new method of growing sizable CH3NH3PbCl3 single crystals based on the retrograde solubility behavior of hybrid perovskites. We show, for the first time, the energy band structure, charge recombination, and transport properties of CH3NH3PbCl3 single crystals. These crystals exhibit trap-state density, charge carrier concentration, mobility, and diffusion length comparable with the best quality crystals of methylammonium lead iodide or bromide perovskites reported so far. The high quality of the crystal along with its suitable optical band gap enabled us to build an efficient visible-blind UV-photodetector, demonstrating its potential in optoelectronic applications.