Photophysics of defect-passivated quasi-2D (PEA)2PbBr4 perovskite using an organic small-molecule

2D Ruddlesden - Popper perovskites are promising candidates for energy harvesting applications due to their tunable optical properties and excellent ambient stability. Moreover, they are solution-processable and compatible with upscalable manufacturing via various printing techniques. Unfortunately, such methods often induce large degrees of heterogeneity due to poorly controlled crystallization. Here, we address this issue by blending the well-known 2D perovskite (PEA)2PbBr4 with an organic small-molecule, namely C8-BTBT, employed as an additive with different blending ratios. Using terahertz (THz) absorption and temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy techniques we observe that with the C8-BTBT additive the photophysical properties are altered while the perovskite structure in the film remains unaffected. More precisely, the inclusion of trace amounts of C8-BTBT in the hybrid films results in defect passivation at perovskite platelet boundaries and at the surfaces, as indicated by increased carrier lifetimes and substantially increased photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQY). This in turn improves the responsivity of photodetectors using the 2D perovskite as active layer. Our study highlights a straightforward strategy for fabricating high-quality 2D perovskites via large-area processing techniques.