Symmetrical 2D Perovskites Enhance Energy Transport

New semiconductor material could open possibilities for solar cells and optoelectronics

Apr. 4, 2026 at 7:48am

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An abstract painting in soft, earthy tones featuring sweeping geometric shapes, concentric circles, and precise botanical spirals, conceptually representing the crystalline structure and energy transport properties of a new type of 2D perovskite semiconductor material.A new class of highly symmetrical 2D perovskite semiconductors could enable more efficient solar cells and optoelectronic devices by allowing energy to flow freely through the material.NYC Today

Researchers at Rice University have created a new type of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor that is more symmetrical than previous perovskite materials, allowing energy to move through the material without getting trapped. This advance could lead to improvements in solar cells, photodetectors, and other optoelectronic devices.

Why it matters

The new 2D perovskite material exhibits exceptional exciton transport properties, on par with the best 2D materials like transition metal dichalcogenides. This could enable more efficient solar cells and optoelectronic devices by allowing the material to better capture and transport light energy.

The details

The researchers engineered a multilayered 2D perovskite that is nearly perfectly symmetrical, unlike typical perovskites which are prone to structural distortions. This allows energy-carrying excitons to propagate through the material for over 2 micrometers without losing energy. The team used a novel crystal growth method to lock in the desired structure before it could transform. The added thickness of the multilayered material also allows it to capture a broader portion of the solar spectrum.

  • The findings were reported in the journal Nature Synthesis on April 3, 2026.
  • The research was conducted at Rice University over several years.

The players

Aditya Mohite

Rice's William M. Rice Trustee Professor, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and faculty director of the Rice Engineering Initiative for Energy Transition and Sustainability.

Isaac Metcalf

A Rice Ph.D. alum and postdoctoral researcher in the Mohite research group, who is a co-first author on the study.

Jin Hou

A materials science and nanoengineering Ph.D. student at Rice, who was the first author on the study.

Jared Fletcher

A graduate student at Northwestern University working in the research group of Mercouri Kanatzidis, who was a co-corresponding author alongside Mohite.

Mercouri Kanatzidis

A professor at Northwestern University and co-corresponding author on the study.

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What they’re saying

“It is as close to perfectly symmetrical as you can find in a crystal, and, to the best of our knowledge, it is the first time this has been demonstrated in a multilayered 2D perovskite system at room temperature.”

— Aditya Mohite, Rice's William M. Rice Trustee Professor, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and faculty director of the Rice Engineering Initiative for Energy Transition and Sustainability

“In two directions, it looks like a perovskite, and in the third direction, three perovskite layers are connected together. Before, people had only been able to connect two perovskite layers using this chemically stable formamidinium cation inside those layers. This is the first time that someone has connected three or more layers in this configuration.”

— Isaac Metcalf, Rice Ph.D. alum and postdoctoral researcher in the Mohite research group

“The more sunlight it can absorb, the better a solar cell it can be, which is why people are excited about this.”

— Isaac Metcalf, Rice Ph.D. alum and postdoctoral researcher in the Mohite research group

“One of the big challenges with tandems right now is the wide band gap material. The 2D perovskites we are developing have enhanced stability. And this specific 2D perovskite has a near ideal band gap to pair with silicon or any other perovskite or semiconductor”

— Faiz Mandani, Rice Ph.D. alum and study co-author

What’s next

The researchers plan to further explore the potential of the new 2D perovskite material in solar cells, photodetectors, and other optoelectronic applications.

The takeaway

This breakthrough in 2D perovskite design represents a significant advance in the quest for more efficient and versatile semiconductor materials for renewable energy and advanced electronics. The ability to create highly symmetrical perovskite structures could unlock new possibilities in solar power, sensing, and quantum technologies.