Iodine Solution Treatment in Nonpolar Solvents as a Facile Approach to Improve the Morphology and Photostability of Perovskite Films

Abstract

We propose a new, simple, and easily implemented approach to improve the morphology of thin films of lead halide perovskites. A key feature of the approach is the controllable size increase of perovskite grains facilitated by polyiodides formed on the surface of the perovskite upon its treatment with iodine solutions in nonpolar solvents with the best results obtained for iodine solution in toluene saturated with MAI. Such a treatment demonstrated an increase in the average grain size of the films of up to 3.5 times in approximately 2 min followed by significantly enhanced photostability.