Hot carrier cooling mechanisms in halide perovskites

Abstract Halide perovskites exhibit unique slow hot-carrier cooling properties capable of unlocking disruptive perovskite photon–electron conversion technologies (e.g., high-efficiency hot-carrier photovoltaics, photo-catalysis, and photodetectors). Presently, the origins and mechanisms of this retardation remain highly contentious (e.g., large polarons, hot-phonon bottleneck, acoustical–optical phonon upconversion etc.). Here, we investigate the fluence-dependent hot-carrier dynamics in methylammonium lead triiodide using transient absorption spectroscopy, and correlate with theoretical modeling and first-principles calculations. At moderate carrier concentrations (around 10 18 cm −3 ), carrier cooling is mediated by polar Fröhlich electron–phonon interactions through zone-center delayed longitudinal optical phonon emissions (i.e., with phonon lifetime τ LO around 0.6 ± 0.1 ps) induced by the hot-phonon bottleneck. The hot-phonon effect arises from the suppression of the Klemens relaxation pathway essential for longitudinal optical phonon decay. At high carrier concentrations (around 10 19 cm −3 ), Auger heating further reduces the cooling rates. Our study unravels the intricate interplay between the hot-phonon bottleneck and Auger heating effects on carrier cooling, which will resolve the existing controversy.