Perovskites with grain size comparable to film thickness are intensively pursued for high-efficiency solar cells. Geometrically, large grains with high crystallinity tend to form polyhedral shapes that have difficulty forming compact and smooth films. When quasi-two-dimensional RP perovskite films adopt a downward growth mode, defective contacts tend to form at their bottom interfaces with many nanocavities. This is attributed to the angular growing fronts of RP perovskite grains adopting [111] (or/and [101]) growth directions. Self-generated methylamine gas, by a replacement reaction in solution, is introduced to in situ heal these irregular nanocavities that are deeply buried in perovskite films during crystallization processes. The amount of self-generated methylamine gas should be adequately controlled to avoid the homogeneous nucleation of perovskites from a liquid perovskite-amine intermediate phase, which is a key to avoid ruining the grain size and film composition. This in situ healing strategy offers significantly enhanced charge collection efficiency and device working stability.

A series of luminescent frameworks was synthesized from the selective combination of aggregation induced emission (AIE)-linker tetra-(4-carboxylphenyl)ethylene (H 4 TCPE) and Zn 2 + . Complex 1 was formed by the close packing of Zn-TCPE hinge, and isostructural complexes 2-5 were constructed by the linkage of Zn-TCPE layer and pillar ligands. These complexes exhibit highly efficient multiphoton excited photoluminescence (MEPL) and concomitant thirdharmonic generation (THG). The multiphoton absorption (MPA) parameters of 1 are superior to other multiphoton emission materials including the perovskite nanocrystals. The incorporation of pillar linkers slows down the charge transfer between layers of Zn-TCPE, and the aromatic core of pillar linkers has a great influence on the MPA performance of the corresponding frameworks.

Two‐dimensional (2D) organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs), a natural multiple‐quantum‐well structure with quasi‐2D electronic properties, have recently emerged as a promising class of semiconducting materials for photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications. However, facile synthesis of high‐quality 2D OIHPs single crystals is still lacking. The layer dependence of the exciton binding energy of (C4H9NH3)2PbI4 (C4PI), a widely studied 2D OIHP, is still debated. Herein, a novel synthesis technique based on inverse temperature crystallization in a binary‐solvent system is used to prepare 2D OIHPs and a systematic study of excitonic states of the synthesized 2D OIHPs by two‐photon excitation (TPE) spectroscopy is conducted. The obtained TPE spectra indicate that the exciton binding energies are similar for C4PI nanosheets and bulk crystals with different number of layers, most likely due to the intrinsically weak interlayer coupling. Further, the dark excitonic 2p states of (C6H5(CH2)2NH3)2PbI4 (PEPI) and C4PI are also observed by TPE spectroscopy. The results provide a novel synthesis protocol and insight into exciton properties of 2D OIHPs.

Photocatalytic H2 evolution coupled with organic transformation provides a new avenue to cooperatively produce clean fuels and fine chemicals, enabling a more efficient conversion of solar energy. Here, a novel two-dimensional (2D) heterostructure of ultrathin ZnIn2S4 nanosheets decorated with amorphous nickel boride (Ni x -B) is prepared for simultaneous photocatalytic anaerobic H2 generation and aromatic aldehydes production. This ZnIn2S4/Ni x -B catalyst elaborately combines the ultrathin structure advantage of the ZnIn2S4 semiconductor and the cocatalytic function of Ni x -B. A high H2 production rate of 8.9 mmol h–1 g–1 is delivered over the optimal ZnIn2S4/Ni x -B with a stoichiometric production of benzaldehyde, which is about 22 times higher than ZnIn2S4. Especially, the H2 evolution rate is much higher than the value (2.8 mmol h–1 g–1) of the traditional photocatalytic half reaction of H2 production with triethanolamine as a sacrificial agent. The apparent quantum yield reaches 24% at 420 nm, representing an advanced photocatalyst system. Moreover, compared with traditional sulfide, hydroxide, and even noble metal modified ZnIn2S4/M counterparts (M = NiS, Ni­(OH)2, Pt), the ZnIn2S4/Ni x -B also maintains markedly higher photocatalytic activity, showing a highly efficient and economical advantage of the Ni x -B cocatalyst. This work sheds light on the exploration of 2D ultrathin semiconductors decorated with novel transition metal boride cocatalyst for efficient photocatalytic organic transformation integrated with solar fuel production.

Photocatalytic H2 evolution from haloid acid (HX) solution by metal halide perovskites (MHPs) has been intensively investigated; however, the corrosive acid solution severely restricts its practical operability. Therefore, developing acid-free schemes for H2 evolution using MHPs is highly desired. Here, we investigate the photocatalytic anaerobic dehydrogenation of alcohols over a series of MHPs (APbX3, A = Cs+, CH3NH3 + (MA), CH­(NH2)2 + (FA); X = Cl–, Br–, I–) to simultaneously produce H2 and aldehydes. Via the coassembly of Pt and rGO nanosheets on MAPbBr3 microcrystals, the optimal MAPbBr3/rGO-Pt reaches a H2 evolution rate of 3150 μmol g–1 h–1 under visible light irradiation (780 nm ≥ λ ≥ 400 nm), which is more than 105-fold higher than pure MAPbBr3 (30 μmol g–1 h–1). The present work not only brings new ample opportunities toward photocatalytic H2 evolution but also opens up new avenues for more effective utilization of MHPs in photocatalysis.