Origin of anomalous band-gap bowing in two-dimensional tin-lead mixed perovskite alloys

The origin of the pronounced and composition-dependent band-gap bowing in Sn/Pb mixed perovskite alloys has been under debate for a long time. Previous studies reported conflicting results on whether the chemical or structural effect is the dominant mechanism. In this paper, the band-gap bowing effect and its possible origins in recently synthesized two-dimensional (2D) Cs2PbxSn1-xI2Cl2 alloys are investigated from first-principles calculations. In agreement with experiments, a large and composition-dependent bowing coefficient is observed. By analyzing the contribution from volume deformation, charge exchange, structural relaxation, and short-range order, it is found that the dominant mechanism causing the anomalous gap bowing is the structural relaxation-induced wave-function localization, forming isovalent-defect-like states, despite the negligible octahedral distortion and small lattice mismatch between the two end compounds. This is understood by the s-p repulsion-induced strong antibonding character of the valence-band maximum which leads to a large deformation potential, thus even a small atomic displacement can result in a large shift of the energy level. These results thus highlight the critical role of strong deformation potential and structural relaxation effect in unusual band evolution of 2D Sn/Pb perovskite alloys, and can be helpful to the modulation of their band gap for optoelectronic applications.