Influence of mobile ions on the electroluminescence characteristics of methylammonium lead iodide perovskite diodes

In this work, we study the effect of voltage bias on the optoelectronic behavior of methylammonium lead iodide planar diodes. Upon biasing the diodes with a positive voltage, the turn-on voltage of the electroluminescence diminishes and its intensity substantially increases. This behavior is reminiscent of that observed in light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs), single-layer electroluminescent devices in which the charge injection is assisted by the accumulation of ions at the electrode interface. Because of this mechanism, performances are largely independent from the work function of the electrodes. The similarities observed between planar perovskite diodes and LECs suggest that mobile ions in the perovskite do play an important rote in device operation. Besides enhanced electroluminescence, biasing these devices can also result in improved photovoltaic performance.