Crystals in the lab aren’t gemstones. They’re materials built from atoms arranged in precise, repeating patterns. That atomic order lets crystals absorb light, move charge and convert energy, enabling technologies from LEDs and solar cells to the sensors in everyday cameras.

Perovskites are lab‑grown crystals that push those abilities even further, absorbing and emitting light with remarkable efficiency, but only when their atomic structure forms cleanly. Even tiny defects can scatter charge and drain energy, reducing efficiency and shortening device lifetimes.

In new research, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory helped develop a volatile low-melting mechanism that uses salt additives to tailor perovskite crystallization at the atomic scale, giving researchers far greater control over how these crystals assemble.

The result is perovskite crystalline layers with dramatically fewer defects and far more stable performance. This enables reliable, high‑efficiency optoelectronic devices — devices that use the interaction between light and electronic charge.

“Defects have been the bottleneck for perovskites for almost a decade,” said study author Yanqi Luo, a beamline scientist in Argonne’s X‑ray Science division. “If we can remove the major defects, we can finally start building devices that last longer and perform more reliably.”

The innovation could help drive brighter screens, better solar panels and more reliable technologies in everyday life.

The research, published in Science, was conducted with researchers at U.S. and international institutions and universities. Researchers conducted much of the experimental analysis at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) and Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM), both DOE Office of Science user facilities at Argonne.

Understanding how the mechanism works begins with the moment the perovskite film first starts to melt and reorganize. The eutectic method (meaning a mixture that melts at a temperature lower than any of the individual components do) lowers the melting point of the perovskite chemicals that supply the atoms needed to form the crystal.

Luo compares the process to spreading salt on an icy road.

The eutectic method produced films with much stronger optoelectronic performance, enabling LEDs that reach new performance records — brighter output, higher efficiency and longer lifetimes. At scale, the process produces large, uniform perovskite layers with the consistency needed for high‑efficiency modules and manufacturable, next‑generation devices.

“The breakthrough isn’t just about making a better crystal — it’s about making a better crystal over a large area, which is the key requirement for real‑world manufacturing,” Tao Zhou said. Zhou is a scientist at the CNM.