Imaging the Moisture-Induced Degradation Process of 2D Organolead Halide Perovskites

Two-dimensional (2D) and quasi-2D Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) phase organolead halide perovskites are promising materials for both photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices. Although they are known to be more stable when exposed to moisture than their 3D counterpart, chemical degradation of these materials under moisture, which not only leads to a significant drop in device performance but also leads to lead leakage, yet remains one of the most serious hurdles for their practical applications. To gain insight into the degradation mechanism of 2D/quasi-2D perovskites under moisture conditions, the degradation pathway of 2D/quasi-2D (PEA)₂(MA)_n-1Pb_nI_3n+1(PEA = C₆H₅C₂H₄NH₃⁺, MA = CH₃NH₃⁺, and n is the number of perovskite layers between adjacent organic spacer layers) perovskite single crystals (SCs) and thin film are explored. We observe the degradation process by mapping the photoluminescence of the 2D perovskites and demonstrate that the larger-n phases all directly degrade into the relative stable n = 1 phase and MAI and PbI₂, which is a mechanism different from that in previous reports and further confirmed in the 2D perovskite thin film. This degradation process is also found to be independent of the boundary and morphology of the SCs. This discovery provides a new perspective for understanding the chemical degradation of the 2D perovskite materials and may inspire new solutions for improving their moisture stability.