Zn2+-Doped Lead-Free CsMnCl3 Nanocrystals Enable Efficient Red Emission with a High Photoluminescence Quantum Yield

Highly efficient and stable Cs3Mn0.93Zn0.07Br5@SiO2 for wide color gamut backlight displays

Mn-based perovskites have become a new candidate material for backlight display applications. However, low efficiency and poor stability are the key problems limiting the application of Mn-based perovskites. In this work, Zn-doped and SiO2-encapsulated Cs3MnBr5, denoted as Cs3Mn0.93Zn0.07Br5@SiO2 (CMZBS), was successfully synthesized to improve the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and stability. After Zn doping, the PLQY increased from 51% to 72% due to the reduction in the energy transfer between [MnBr4]2-. The PLQY can be further improved to 80% after coating SiO2. Compared with Cs3MnBr5 (CMB), CMZBS showed better stability against thermal, air, light, and polar solvents (ethanol and isopropanol). In addition, a white LED (WLED) device with a CIE of (0.323, 0.325) was fabricated by integrating CMZBS and the red phosphor K2SiF6:Mn4+ on a 465 nm blue GaN chip, which exhibited a high luminous efficiency of 92 lm W-1 and excellent stability, demonstrating its great potential application in wide color gamut displays.

Interfacial B-Site Ion Diffusion in All-Inorganic Core/Shell Perovskite Nanocrystals

All-inorganic metal halide perovskites (ABX3, X = Cl, Br, or I) show great potential for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices, but the toxicity and instability of lead-based perovskites limit their applications. Shell passivation with a more stable lead-free perovskite is a promising strategy to isolate unstable components from the environment as well as a feasible way to tune the optical properties. However, it is challenging to grow core/shell perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) due to the soft ionic nature of the perovskite lattice. In this work, we developed a facile method to grow a lead-free CsMnCl3 shell on the surface of CsPbCl3 NCs to form CsPbCl3/CsMnCl3 core/shell NCs with enhanced environmental stability and improved photoluminescence (PL) quantum yields (QYs). More importantly, the resulting core/shell perovskite NCs have color-tunable PL due to B-site ion diffusion at the interface of the core/shell NCs. Specifically, B-site Mn diffusion from the CsMnCl3 shell to the CsPbCl3 core leads to a Mn-doped CsPbCl3 core (i.e., Mn:CsPbCl3), which can turn on the Mn PL at around 600 nm. The ratio of Mn PL and host CsPbCl3 PL is highly tunable as a function of the thermal annealing time of the CsPbCl3/CsMnCl3 core/shell NCs. While the halide anion exchange for all-inorganic metal halide perovskites has been well-developed for band-gap-engineered materials, interfacial B-site diffusion in core/shell perovskite NCs is a promising approach for both tunable optical properties and enhanced environmental stability.

Regulating the Optical Properties of Cs3MnBr5 Nanocrystals in Glasses for Narrow-Band Green Emission

Environmentally friendly phosphors with narrow-band green luminescence are in great demand for solid-state lighting and backlight display applications. Herein, all inorganic lead-free Cs3MnBr5 nanocrystals (NCs) are prepared in glass with dual-band luminescence and a high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield of 60.2%. However, due to the short separation and strong coupling interaction between neighboring [ M n B r 4 ] 2 - units, Cs3MnBr5 NCs undergo energy transfer from a single [ M n B r 4 ] 2 - unit to coupled [ M n B r 4 ] 2 - clusters and give green-red dual-band PL. Incorporation of Zn into Cs3MnBr5 NCs therefore enlarges the average separation and reduces the interaction between neighboring [ M n B r 4 ] 2 - units to inhibit energy transfer from the green-emitting [ M n B r 4 ] 2 - unit to coupled [ M n B r 4 ] 2 - clusters, thus changing the dual-band PL into single-band green PL at 524 nm with a full width at half maximum of 47 nm and a maximal PL quantum yield of 50%. Low-temperature PL also demonstrates that partial replacement of Mn2+ ions by Zn2+ ions can further confine the exciton in the [ M n B r 4 ] 2 - unit and suppress the energy transfer. These Cs3MnBr5 NCs- and Zn/Cs3MnBr5 NCs-embedded glasses also possess good thermal, photo-, and chemical stabilities. These features demonstrate that these Cs3MnBr5 NCs- and Zn/Cs3MnBr5 NCs-embedded glasses have potential applications for efficient, environmental-friendly, and stable green phosphors in the fields of solid-state lighting and backlight display.

Metal-Ion-Doped Manganese Halide Hybrids with Tunable Emission for Advanced Anti-Counterfeiting

Stimuli-responsive luminescent materials have received great attention for their potential application in anti-counterfeiting and information encryption. Manganese halide hybrids have been considered an efficient stimuli-responsive luminescent material due to their low price and adjustable photoluminescence (PL). However, the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of PEA₂MnBr₄ is relatively low. Herein, Zn²⁺- and Pb²⁺-doped PEA₂MnBr₄ samples are synthesized, and show an intense green emission and orange emission, respectively. After doping with Zn²⁺, the PLQY of PEA₂MnBr₄ is elevated from 9% to 40%. We have found that green emitting Zn²⁺-doped PEA₂MnBr₄ could transform to a pink color after being exposed to air for several seconds and the reversible transformation from pink to green was achieved by using heating treatment. Benefiting from this property, an anti-counterfeiting label is fabricated, which exhibits excellent "pink-green-pink" cycle capability. Pb²⁺-doped PEA₂Mn_0.88Zn_0.12Br₄ is acquired by cation exchange reaction, which shows intense orange emission with a high QY of 85%. The PL of Pb²⁺-doped PEA₂Mn_0.88Zn_0.12Br₄ decreases with increasing temperature. Hence, the encrypted multilayer composite film is fabricated relying on the different thermal responses of Zn²⁺- and Pb²⁺-doped PEA₂MnBr₄, whereby the encrypted information can be read out by thermal treatment.

Solid-state synthesis of cesium manganese halide nanocrystals in glass with bright and broad red emission for white LEDs

Recently, lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have attracted extensive attention due to their unique optical properties. However, the toxicity of lead and the instability to moisture obstruct their further commercial development. Herein, a series of lead-free CsMnX₃ (X = Cl, Br, and I) NCs embedded in glasses were synthesized by a high temperature solid-state chemistry method. These NCs embedded in glass can remain stable after soaking in water for 90 days. It is found that increasing the amount of cesium carbonate in the synthesis process can not only prevent the oxidation of Mn²⁺ to Mn³⁺ and promote the transparency of glass in the 450-700 nm region, but also significantly increase its photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) from 2.9% to 65.1%, which is the highest reported value of the red CsMnX₃ NCs so far. Using CsMnBr₃ NCs with a red emission peak at 649 nm and full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) of 130 nm as the red light source, a white light-emitting diode (LED) device with International Commission on illumination (CIE) coordinates of (0.33, 0.36) and a color rendering index (CRI) of 94 was obtained. These findings, together with future research, are likely to yield stable and bright lead-free NCs for the next generation of solid-state lighting.

Temperature-Dependent Reversible Optical Properties of Mn-Based Organic-Inorganic Hybrid (C8H20N)2MnCl4 Metal Halides

Organic-inorganic metal halides (OIMHs) have abundant optical properties and potential applications, such as light-emitting diodes, displays, solar cells, and photodetectors. Herein, we report zero-dimensional Mn-based OIMH (C₈H₂₀N)₂MnCl₄ single crystals synthesized by a simple slow evaporation method, which exhibit intense green emission at 520 nm originating from ⁴T₁-⁶A₁ transition of Mn²⁺ ions. Large organic cations in the crystal structure result in the isolated [MnCl₄]^2- tetrahedrons, and the closest Mn-Mn distance reaches 9.07 Å, which effectively inhibits the migration of excitation energy between adjacent Mn²⁺ emission centers, thus achieving a high quantum yield (∼87%) and a long photoluminescence (PL) lifetime (3.42 ms). The different optical and structural properties at low and high temperatures are revealed by temperature-dependent PL and X-ray diffraction spectra. The PL spectra and lifetimes under the heating and cooling processes indicate that the optical property transitions are reversible at 220/240 K. Our work provides a promising strategy for building multifunctional optoelectronic materials and insights into the understanding convertible photophysical properties from isomers of metal halides.

Doping/Alloying Pathways to Lead-Free Halide Perovskites with Ultimate Photoluminescence Quantum Yields

Tailored modifications of halide lead-free perovskites (LFPs) via doping/alloying with metal cations have been recognized as a promising pathway to highly efficient inorganic phosphors with photoluminescence (PL) quantum yields of up to 100 %. Such materials typically display selective sensitivity to UV light, a broad PL range, and long PL lifetimes as well as a unique compositional variability and stability-an ideal combination for many light-harvesting applications. This Minireview presents the state-of-the-art in doped LFPs, focusing on the reports published mostly in the last two to three years. We discuss the factors determining the efficiency and spectral parameters of the broadband PL of doped LFPs depending on the dopant and host matrix, both in micro- and nanocrystalline states, address the most relevant challenges this rapidly developing research area is facing, and outline the most promising concepts for further progress in this field.