Interface Energy Alignment between Lead Halide Perovskite Single Crystals and TIPS-Pentacene

At present, there is a huge development in optoelectronic applications using lead halide perovskites. Considering that device performance is largely governed by the transport of charges across interfaces and, therefore, the interfacial electronic structure, fundamental investigations of perovskite interfaces are highly necessary. In this study, we use high-resolution soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy based on synchrotron radiation to explore the interfacial energetics for the molecular layer of TIPS-pentacene and lead halide perovskite single crystals. We perform ultrahigh vacuum studies on multiple thicknesses of an in situ formed interface of TIPS-pentacene with four different in situ cleaved perovskite single crystals (MAPbI(3), MAPbBr(3), FAPbBr(3), and Cs(x)FA(1-x)PbBr(y)I(3-y)). Our findings reveal a substantial shift of the TIPS-pentacene energy levels toward higher binding energies with increasing thickness, while the perovskite energy levels remain largely unaffected regardless of their composition. These shifts can be interpreted as band bending in the TIPS-pentacene, and such effects should be considered when assessing the energy alignment at perovskite/organic transport material interfaces. Furthermore, we were able to follow a reorganization on the MAPbI3 surface with the transformation of the surface C 1s into bulk C 1s.

Automated summary

Significant development has been made in optoelectronic applications using lead halide perovskites. This study investigates the interfacial energetics between the molecular layer of TIPS-pentacene and lead halide perovskite single crystals. The findings show that the energy levels of TIPS-pentacene shift towards higher binding energies with increasing thickness, while the perovskite energy levels remain unaffected. These results are important for assessing the energy alignment at perovskite/organic transport material interfaces.