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.
Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
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