Single crystals of methylammonium lead trihalide perovskites (MAPbX3; MA=CH3NH3+, X=Br− or I−) have shown remarkably low trap density and charge transport properties; however, growth of such high-quality semiconductors is a time-consuming process. Here we present a rapid crystal growth process to obtain MAPbX3 single crystals, an order of magnitude faster than previous reports. The process is based on our observation of the substantial decrease of MAPbX3 solubility, in certain solvents, at elevated temperatures. The crystals can be both size- and shape-controlled by manipulating the different crystallization parameters. Despite the rapidity of the method, the grown crystals exhibit transport properties and trap densities comparable to the highest quality MAPbX3 reported to date. The phenomenon of inverse or retrograde solubility and its correlated inverse temperature crystallization strategy present a major step forward for advancing the field on perovskite crystallization.

Although halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) are promising materials for optoelectronic devices, they suffer severely from chemical and phase instabilities. Moreover, the common capping ligands like oleic acid and oleylamine that encapsulate the NCs will form an insulating layer, precluding their utility in optoelectronic devices. To overcome these limitations, we develop a postsynthesis passivation process for CsPbI NCs by using a bidentate ligand, namely 2,2'-iminodibenzoic acid. Our passivated NCs exhibit narrow red photoluminescence with exceptional quantum yield (close to unity) and substantially improved stability. The passivated NCs enabled us to realize red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with 5.02% external quantum efficiency and 748 cd/m luminance, surpassing by far LEDs made from the nonpassivated NCs.

Supporting Information Materials and MethodsChemicals and reagents. Lead bromide (≥ 98%), lead iodide (99.999% trace metal basis), DMF (anhydrous, 99.8%) and GBL (≥ 99%) were purchased from Sigma Aldrich. MABr, FABr and FAI were purchased from Dyesol Limited (Australia). All salts and solvents were used as received without any further purification. MAPbBr 3 , FAPbBr 3 and FAPbI 3 single crystals were grown by Inverse Temperature Crystallization (ITC) technique from 1 M solution of PbBr 2 /MABr in DMF, 1 M solution PbBr 2 /FABr in DMF:GBL (1:1 v/v) and 0.8 M solution of PbI 2 /FAI in GBL, respectively, as it was previously reported by Saidaminov et al. 1,2Powder X-ray diffraction was performed on a Bruker AXS D8 diffractometer using Cu-Kα radiation.

Hybrid perovskites are promising semiconductors for optoelectronic applications. However, they suffer from morphological disorder that limits their optoelectronic properties and, ultimately, device performance. Recently, perovskite single crystals have been shown to overcome this problem and exhibit impressive improvements: low trap density, low intrinsic carrier concentration, high mobility, and long diffusion length that outperform perovskite-based thin films. These characteristics make the material ideal for realizing photodetection that is simultaneously fast and sensitive; unfortunately, these macroscopic single crystals cannot be grown on a planar substrate, curtailing their potential for optoelectronic integration. Here we produce large-area planar-integrated films made up of large perovskite single crystals. These crystalline films exhibit mobility and diffusion length comparable with those of single crystals. Using this technique, we produced a high-performance light detector showing high gain (above 104 electrons per photon) and high gain-bandwidth product (above 108 Hz) relative to other perovskite-based optical sensors.

So-called zero-dimensional perovskites, such as Cs 4 PbBr 6 , promise outstanding emissive properties. However, Cs 4 PbBr 6 is mostly prepared by melting of precursors that usually leads to a coformation of undesired phases. Here, we report a simple low-temperature solution-processed synthesis of pure Cs 4 PbBr 6 with remarkable emission properties. We found that pure Cs 4 PbBr 6 in solid form exhibits a 45% photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), in contrast to its three-dimensional counterpart, CsPbBr 3 , which exhibits more than 2 orders of magnitude lower PLQY. Such a PLQY of Cs 4 PbBr 6 is significantly higher than that of other solid forms of lower-dimensional metal halide perovskite derivatives and perovskite nanocrystals. We attribute this dramatic increase in PL to the high exciton binding energy, which we estimate to be ∼353 meV, likely induced by the unique Bergerhoff−Schmitz−Dumont-type crystal structure of Cs 4 PbBr 6 , in which metal-halide-comprised octahedra are spatially confined. Our findings bring this class of perovskite derivatives to the forefront of color-converting and light-emitting applications.

We demonstrate ultra-air- and photostable CsPbBr3 quantum dots (QDs) by using an inorganic-organic hybrid ion pair as the capping ligand. This passivation approach to perovskite QDs yields high photoluminescence quantum yield with unprecedented operational stability in ambient conditions (60 ± 5% lab humidity) and high pump fluences, thus overcoming one of the greatest challenges impeding the development of perovskite-based applications. Due to the robustness of passivated perovskite QDs, we were able to induce ultrastable amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in solution processed QD films not only through one photon but also through two-photon absorption processes. The latter has not been observed before in the family of perovskite materials. More importantly, passivated perovskite QD films showed remarkable photostability under continuous pulsed laser excitation in ambient conditions for at least 34 h (corresponds to 1.2 × 10(8) laser shots), substantially exceeding the stability of other colloidal QD systems in which ASE has been observed.

Controllable doping of semiconductors is a fundamental technological requirement for electronic and optoelectronic devices. As intrinsic semiconductors, hybrid perovskites have so far been a phenomenal success in photovoltaics. The inability to dope these materials heterovalently (or aliovalently) has greatly limited their wider utilizations in electronics. Here we show an efficient in situ chemical route that achieves the controlled incorporation of trivalent cations (Bi(3+), Au(3+), or In(3+)) by exploiting the retrograde solubility behavior of perovskites. We term the new method dopant incorporation in the retrograde regime. We achieve Bi(3+) incorporation that leads to bandgap tuning (∼300 meV), 10(4) fold enhancement in electrical conductivity, and a change in the sign of majority charge carriers from positive to negative. This work demonstrates the successful incorporation of dopants into perovskite crystals while preserving the host lattice structure, opening new avenues to tailor the electronic and optoelectronic properties of this rapidly emerging class of solution-processed semiconductors.

Perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have become leading candidates for solution-processed optoelectronics applications. While substantial work has been published on 3-D perovskite phases, the NC form of the zero-dimensional (0-D) phase of this promising class of materials remains elusive. Here we report the synthesis of a new class of colloidal semiconductor NCs based on CsPbBr, the 0-D perovskite, enabled through the design of a novel low-temperature reverse microemulsion method with 85% reaction yield. These 0-D perovskite NCs exhibit high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) in the colloidal form (PLQY: 65%), and, more importantly, in the form of thin film (PLQY: 54%). Notably, the latter is among the highest values reported so far for perovskite NCs in the solid form. Our work brings the 0-D phase of perovskite into the realm of colloidal NCs with appealingly high PLQY in the film form, which paves the way for their practical application in real devices.