TY - JOUR A1 - Flatken, M. A. A1 - Radicchi, E. A1 - Wendt, R. A1 - de Oliveira Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Härk, E. A1 - Pascual, J. A1 - Mathies, F. A1 - Shargaieva, O. A1 - Prause, A. A1 - Dallmann, A. A1 - De Angelis, F. A1 - Hoell, A. A1 - Abate, A. T1 - Role of the Alkali Metal Cation in the Early Stages of Crystallization of Halide Perovskites JF - Chemistry of Materials N2 - ABX3 metal halide perovskites revolutionized the research and development of new optoelectronics, including solar cells and light-emitting diodes. Processing polycrystalline thin films from precursor solutions is one of the core advantages of these materials since it enables versatile and cost-effective manufacturing. The perovskite film morphology, that is, continuous substrate coverage and low surface roughness, is of paramount importance for highly efficient solar cells and optoelectronic devices in general. Controlling the chemistry of precursor solutions is one of the most effective strategies to manage the perovskite film morphology. Herein, we show the fundamental influence of the A-site cation composition on the perovskite precursor arrangement and the consequent film formation. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering give unprecedented insights into the complex structural chemistry of the perovskite precursors and, in particular, their repulsive interactions as a crucial parameter for colloidal stability. Combining these techniques with in situ grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering during thin-film formation allows us to identify the mechanism for using alkali metals as a decisive criterion to control the colloidal stability of the perovskite precursor and thus the thin-film morphology. We illustrate the fundamental principle behind the systematic use of alkali metals regardless of whether they are incorporated in the lattice or not. Hence, this work provides tools to selectively control the morphology and crystal growth in present and future systems KW - MAPbI3 perovskites KW - Halide Perovskites KW - X-ray absorption spectroscopy PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.1c03563 SN - 0897-4756 VL - 34 IS - 3 SP - 1121 EP - 1131 PB - American Chemical Society AN - OPUS4-54713 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Prause, A. A1 - Hormann, A. A1 - Cristiglio, V. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Gradzielski, M. A1 - Findenegg, G. H. T1 - Incorporation and structural arrangement of microemulsion droplets in cylindrical pores of mesoporous silica JF - Molecular Physics N2 - The behaviour of microemulsion (ME) droplets in mesoporous systems is highly important for understanding the immobilisation of drugs or chemical formulations, cleaning processes or enhanced oil recovery. The loading of pores as well as the structural organisation of MEs within the pores is a relevant parameter, especially for immobilisation applications. For this reason, the uptake of microemulsions in cylindrical pores of SBA-15 was investigated via adsorption and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). Adsorption isotherms revealed an adsorption of the microemulsion droplets based on the adsorption of surfactant as a driving force. The adapted scattering model is based on the analysis of bare SBA-15 in full contrast conditions and employs microemulsions inside of SBA-15 measured at the silica contrast matching point. Accordingly, the structural arrangement of microemulsion droplets in the pores of SBA-15 was determined in good detail. Microemulsion droplets smaller than the pore size access the pores while retaining their spherical shape and become increasingly ordered for higher loading, where the droplets arrange in a dense packing of spherical droplets in a cylindrical pore. Interestingly, microemulsion droplets larger than the pore size can easily be incorporated, but become deformed upon entering and are present as elongated rod-like structures. KW - Mesoporous Silica KW - SAXS KW - Microemulsion PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/00268976.2021.1913255 VL - 119 IS - 15-16 SP - 13255 PB - Taylor & Francis AN - OPUS4-52959 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -