Observation of Hot Carrier Localization Affected by A Cations in Hybrid Perovskites

Organic–inorganic lead halide perovskites (OLHPs) have demonstrated exceptional properties in high-performance photoelectric devices. However, the impact of A-site cations, specifically formamidinium and methylammonium (MA), on the optoelectronic properties of OLHPs, particularly in the context of hot carrier utilization, remains a topic of debate. In this study, we propose a method for characterizing hot carrier transportation by measuring the hot carrier mobility and momentum-dependent transient photocurrent influenced by A-site cations in OLHPs. Our findings reveal that the direction of photon drag current is reversed upon substitution of the MA cation, suggesting the strong localization of hot carriers by the MA cation dipole. Furthermore, the correlation between the hot carrier photoconductivity and the electronic structure in different A-site cation samples indicates that hot carrier mobility in OLHPs can be reduced by >50% due to the influence of A-site cations.