High-pressure behavior of methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) hybrid perovskite

In this paper we provide an accurate high-pressure structural and optical study of the MAPbI3 hybrid perovskite. Structural data show the presence of a phase transition toward an orthorhombic structure around 0.3 GPa followed by full amorphization of the system above 3 GPa. After releasing the pressure, the system keeps the high-pressure orthorhombic phase. The occurrence of these structural transitions is further confirmed by pressure induced variations of the photoluminescence signal at high pressure. These variations clearly indicate that the bandgap value and the electronic structure of MAPI change across the phase transition.