Spatially Resolved Self-Healing Dynamics in Perovskite–Charge Transport Layer Heterostructures

Tejmani Behera^a, Boris Louis^a, Sudipta Seth^a, Johan Hofkens^a

^aMolecular Imaging and Photonics, KU Leuven, Belgium, Celestijnenlaan, 200F, Leuven, Belgium

Proceedings of MATSUS Fall 2026 Conference (MATSUSFall26)

B1 Fundamentals and Emerging Phenomena in Halide Perovskites

Palma, Spain, 2026 October 26th - 30th

Organizers: Sascha Feldmann, Paulina Plochocka and Alexander Urban

Oral, Tejmani Behera, presentation 239
Publication date: 22nd July 2026

The instability of halide perovskite optoelectronic devices remains a bottleneck for long-term operation, largely due to persistent defect formation and associated non-radiative (NR) losses. However, unlike conventional semiconductors, MHPs possess an inherent self-healing (SH) ability that allows spontaneous defect repair without external intervention[1–5], which presents a pathway toward resilient, low-maintenance devices; however, its practical realization hinges on deciphering and regulating the microscopic origins of SH. The underlying microscopic mechanisms remain poorly understood, particularly the role of interfacial chemistry on trap dynamics and healing kinetics. Here, I will discuss SH and defect evolution in triple-cation mixed-halide (TCMH) perovskite films and their device-relevant charge-transport-layer heterostructures subjected to photo-induced damage. Using correlation clustering imaging (CLIM) [6], our recently developed local functional imaging tool, I will show how we map spatiotemporal photoluminescence heterogeneity to track defect dynamics in pristine and hetero-structure films (Figure 1). Our results demonstrate that the chemical nature of charge-transport layers modulates trap activity, healing kinetics, and halide redistribution, with hetero-structures exhibiting faster recovery than pristine films, a boon for device resilience. These findings provide new insights into the dynamic interactions among defects, interfaces, and ion migration and establish a framework for the rational design of durable, next-generation perovskite optoelectronic devices"

References:

[1] Wang, C.; Qu, D.; Zhou, B.; Shang, C.; Zhang, X.; Tu, Y.; Huang, W. Self‐Healing Behavior of the Metal Halide Perovskites and Photovoltaics. Small 2024, 20 (6), 2307645–2307671.

[2] Soffer, Y.; Roy, D.; Singh, P.; Cahen, D.; Oron, D. From Photo‐Damage to Self‐Healing in Thin Film Pb‐Iodide Perovskites: Action at a Distance. Adv. Opt. Mater. 2025, 13 (19), 1–12.

[3] Nie, W.; Blancon, J.; Neukirch, A. J.; Appavoo, K.; Tsai, H.; Chhowalla, M.; Alam, M. A.; Sfeir, M. Y.; Katan, C.; Even, J.; et al. Light-Activated Photocurrent Degradation and Self-Healing in Perovskite Solar Cells. Nat. Commun. 2016, 7, 11574–11583.

[4] Teng, P.; Reichert, S.; Xu, W.; Yang, S.-C.; Fu, F.; Zou, Y.; Yin, C.; Bao, C.; Karlsson, M.; Liu, X.; et al. Degradation and Self-Repairing in Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes. Matter 2021, 4 (11), 3710–3724.

[5] Parida, S.; Kumar, S.; Cherf, S.; Aharon, S.; Cahen, D.; Eren, B. Self‐Healing and ‐Repair of Nanomechanical Damages in Lead Halide Perovskites. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2023, 33 (45), 2304278–2304287.

[6] Louis, B.; Seth, S.; An, Q.; Ji, R.; Vaynzof, Y.; Hofkens, J.; Scheblykin, I. G. In Operando Locally‐Resolved Photophysics in Perovskite Solar Cells by Correlation Clustering Imaging. Adv. Mater. 2025, 37 (7), 2413126–2413138.

Acknowledgements:

S.S. acknowledges the support of Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellowship (No. 101151427, SPS_Nano) from the European Union’s Horizon Europe program, short stay abroad grant (K257023N), and travel grant (K147824N) from Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO). B.L. thanks FWO for his Junior Postdoctoral fellowship (12AGZ24N). E.D. acknowledges funding from the KU Leuven Internal Funds (grant numbers C14/23/090 and CELSA/23/018) and the European Union (ERC Starting Grant, 101117274 X-PECT). J.H. acknowledges financial support from FWO (Grant No. G0F2322N, VS06523N, G0AHQ25N, and S004322N (GigaPixel)), and the MPIP as an MPI fellow. M.V. acknowledges financial support by the JSPS KAKENHI grant number 24K01449 and by the JSPS KAKENHI grant number 23H04875 in Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas ‘Materials Science of Meso-Hierarchy’.

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