A Facile Route to Cesium Lead Bromoiodide Perovskite Microcrystals and Their Potential Application as Sensors for Nitrophenol Explosives

Sensing Utilities of Cesium Lead Halide Perovskites and Composites: A Comprehensive Review

Recently, the utilization of metal halide perovskites in sensing and their application in environmental studies have reached a new height. Among the different metal halide perovskites, cesium lead halide perovskites (CsPbX3; X = Cl, Br, and I) and composites have attracted great interest in sensing applications owing to their exceptional optoelectronic properties. Most CsPbX3 nanostructures and composites possess great structural stability, luminescence, and electrical properties for developing distinct optical and photonic devices. When exposed to light, heat, and water, CsPbX3 and composites can display stable sensing utilities. Many CsPbX3 and composites have been reported as probes in the detection of diverse analytes, such as metal ions, anions, important chemical species, humidity, temperature, radiation photodetection, and so forth. So far, the sensing studies of metal halide perovskites covering all metallic and organic-inorganic perovskites have already been reviewed in many studies. Nevertheless, a detailed review of the sensing utilities of CsPbX3 and composites could be helpful for researchers who are looking for innovative designs using these nanomaterials. Herein, we deliver a thorough review of the sensing utilities of CsPbX3 and composites, in the quantitation of metal ions, anions, chemicals, explosives, bioanalytes, pesticides, fungicides, cellular imaging, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), toxic gases, humidity, temperature, radiation, and photodetection. Furthermore, this review also covers the synthetic pathways, design requirements, advantages, limitations, and future directions for this material.

CsPbBr3 perovskite quantum dot decorated ZIF-8 MOF: a selective dual recognition fluorometric visual probe for 4-nitroaniline and rhodamine blue

The uses of highly luminescent perovskite quantum dots in real analytical detection were limited by their supersensitive nature. Here, we have designed a CsPbBr3 perovskite based fluorometric sensor by integrating them with a zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF-8) via an in situ one step technique and established its stability in aqueous and other polar solvents. The CsPbBr3@ZIF-8 luminescence sensor functioned excellently for the trace detection of 4-nitroaniline and rhodamine blue dye molecules with a detection limit value of 8.367 ppb and 0.088 ppm, respectively. A comprehensive investigation found that the quenching of the fluorescence signal occurred via fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) for rhodamine blue dye and a H-bonding interaction induced trap density mediated quenching mechanism was responsible for 4-NA detection. The potential of this suggested sensor as a cheap portable test paper probe for analyte detection was also explored. This study introduces CsPbBr3 as a cutting-edge sensing platform for industrial pollutants such as dye molecules and nitroaromatics.

Lattice Distortion and Low-Frequency Anharmonic Phonons Suppress Charge Recombination in Lead Halide Perovskites upon Pseudohalide Doping: Time-Domain Ab Initio Analysis

Perovskite solar cells have witnessed a surge in interest as a promising technology for low-cost, high-efficiency photovoltaics with certified power conversion efficiencies beyond 25%. However, their commercial development is hindered by poor stability and nonradiative losses that restrict their approach to the theoretical efficiency limit. Using ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics, we demonstrate that nonradiative charge recombination is suppressed when the iodide in formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3) is partially replaced with pseudohalide anions (SCN-, BF4-, and PF6-). The replacement breaks the symmetry of the system and creates local structural distortion and dynamic disorder, decreasing electron-hole overlap and nonadiabatic electron-vibrational coupling. The charge carrier lifetime is found to increase with increased structural distortion and is the longest for PF6-. This work is fundamentally relevant to the design of high-performance perovskite materials for optoelectronic applications.

Elimination of Charge Recombination Centers in Metal Halide Perovskites by Strain

Metal halide perovskites exhibit enhanced photoluminescence and long-lived carriers in experiments under strain. Using ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics, we demonstrate that compressive and tensile strain can eliminate charge recombination centers created by defect states, by shifting traps from bandgap into bands. A compressive strain enhances coupling of Pb-s and I-p orbitals, pushes the valence band (VB) up in energy, and moves the trap state due to iodine interstitial (I_i) into the VB. The strain distorts the system and breaks the I-dimer responsible for the I_i trap. A tensile strain increases Pb-Pb distance, weakens overlap of Pb-p orbitals, and pushes the conduction band (CB) down in energy. The trap state created by replacement of iodine with methylammonium (MA_I) is moved into the CB. Application of strain to the defective systems not only eliminates midgap traps but also creates moderate disorder that reduces overlap of electron and hole wave functions, activates phonon modes accelerating coherence loss within the electronic subsystem, and extends carrier lifetimes even beyond those in pristine MAPbI₃. Our investigation rationalizes the high performance of perovskites solar cells under strain and reveals how strain passivates I_i and MA_I defects in MAPbI₃, providing a new nonchemical strategy for defect control and engineering.

Surface Pb-Dimer Passivated by Molecule Oxygen Notably Suppresses Charge Recombination in CsPbBr3 Perovskites: Time-Domain Ab Initio Analysis

Experiments show that excess lead atoms accelerate charge recombination while oxygen passivation can heal the defects and enhance solar cell efficiency. Using ab initio nonadiabatic (NA) molecular dynamics, we demonstrate that an excess lead atom forms a Pb-dimer with a single surface lead atom of CsPbBr₃(001) surface and creates a deep hole trap. The electron-hole recombination is accelerated to over 10 ps via fast hole trapping or bypassing the hole trap compared to the pristine CsPbBr₃, occurring on tens of picoseconds. Pb-dimer passivated with oxygen molecules forms Pb-O bonds, breaks the Pb-dimer, and removes the trap state, leading to a decrease in the recombination and extending excited-state lifetime to over 100 ps. The deceleration arises mainly due to the reduced NA coupling and short decoherence time. The study advances our understanding of excited-state dynamics of all-inorganic perovskites in the presence of excess lead and oxygen atmosphere.

Mixed Cs and FA Cations Slow Electron-Hole Recombination in FAPbI3 Perovskites by Time-Domain Ab Initio Study: Lattice Contraction versus Octahedral Tilting

Using time domain density functional theory combined with nonadiabatic (NA) molecular dynamics, we show that electron-hole recombination takes subnanoseconds in FAPbI₃, showing excellent agreement with experiment. Cs doping retards charge recombination by factors of 1.1 and 3.1 due to lattice contraction and octahedral tilting, respectively. Lattice contraction decreases the NA coupling and increases the coherence time arising from the suppressed atomic fluctuations, slightly slowing recombination because the two factors have an opposite influence on quantum transition. In contrast, octahedral tilting simultaneously decreases the NA coupling, thanks to the reduced overlap between Pb and I orbitals, and the coherence time, extending the excited-state lifetime over 1 ns. Our simulations provide a mechanistic understanding for delayed charge losses in the mixed Cs and FA system, suggesting a rational strategy to improve perovskite solar cell performance.

3D hybrid perovskite solid solutions: a facile approach for deposition of nanoparticles and thin films via B-site substitution

CH₃NH₃Pb_1−xCu_xBr₃ hybrid perovskite solid solutions as nanoparticles and thin films have been fabricated.

Broadband emission in a new lead free all-inorganic 3D CsZnCl2I perovskite

Broadband emission was observed in new lead free all-inorganic 3D CsZnCl₂I perovskite thin films deposited by AACVD.

Fabrication of planar heterojunction CsPbBr2I perovskite solar cells using ZnO as an electron transport layer and improved solar energy conversion efficiency

Inorganic cesium lead bromoiodide based planar perovskite solar cells with ZnO electron transport layers are deposited using one step spin coating.