We have developed a colloidal synthesis of nearly monodisperse nanocrystals of pure Cs4PbX6 (X = Cl, Br, I) and their mixed halide compositions with sizes ranging from 9 to 37 nm. The optical absorption spectra of these nanocrystals display a sharp, high energy peak due to transitions between states localized in individual PbX64– octahedra. These spectral features are insensitive to the size of the particles and in agreement with the features of the corresponding bulk materials. Samples with mixed halide composition exhibit absorption bands that are intermediate in spectral position between those of the pure halide compounds. Furthermore, the absorption bands of intermediate compositions broaden due to the different possible combinations of halide coordination around the Pb2+ ions. Both observations are supportive of the fact that the [PbX6]4– octahedra are electronically decoupled in these systems. Because of the large band gap of Cs4PbX6 (>3.2 eV), no excitonic emission in the visible range was observed. The Cs4PbBr6 nanocrystals can be converted into green fluorescent CsPbBr3 nanocrystals by their reaction with an excess of PbBr2 with preservation of size and size distributions. The insertion of PbX2 into Cs4PbX6 provides a means of accessing CsPbX3 nanocrystals in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and compositions, an important aspect for the development of precisely tuned perovskite nanocrystal inks.

Identifying the composition of the solvated iodoplumbate complexes that are involved in the synthesis of perovskites in different solution environments is of great relevance in order to link the type and quantity of precursors to the final optoelectronic properties of the material. In this paper we clarify the nature of these species and the involved solution equilibria by combining experimental analysis and high-level theoretical calculations, focusing in particular on the DMSO and DMF solvents, largely employed in the perovskites synthesis. The specific molecular interactions between the iodoplumbate complexes, [PbIm] 2-m , and the solvent molecules, X, were analyzed by identifying the most thermodynamically stable structures in various solvent solutions and characterizing their optical properties trough DFT and TD-DFT calculations. A comparison with the experimental UV-Vis absorption spectra allows for the first time the definition of the number of iodide and solvent ligands bonded to the Pb 2+ ion and of the complex formation constants of the involved species.3

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