Electron–Phonon Coupling-Mediated Ultralong Carrier Lifetime in an All-Inorganic Two-Dimensional Cs2PbI2Cl2 Perovskite: Explanation for the High Antisite Defect Tolerance

Two-dimensional (2D) halide perovskite are appealing candidates for applications in optoelectronics and photovoltaics, but their energy conversion efficiency is severely limited by nonradiative electron-hole recombination. In most investigations, point defects with deep defect levels and deep charge-state transition levels in the band gap are treated as the carrier recombination centers. For the all-inorganic 2D Css ₂PbI₂Cl₂, the I_Pb antisite defect is the most likely to form and cause nonradiative electron-hole recombination. By using density functional theory and ab initio nonradiative molecular dynamics calculations, we found that the I_Pb defect can introduce the deep acceptor and donor levels into the band gap. Because electron-phonon coupling gives rise to weak nonadiabatic coupling and rapid loss of electronic coherence, those levels lead to a reduction of the carrier loss and the prolongation of the excited-state carrier lifetime, thereby enhancing the photoelectric and defect tolerance properties of the Cs₂PbI₂Cl₂ material. These results could deepen the understanding of the chemistry of defects and carrier dynamics in perovskite materials.