A Few-Minute Synthesis of CsPbBr3 Nanolasers with a High Quality Factor by Spraying at Ambient Conditions

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2019 Jan 9;11(1):1040-1048. doi: 10.1021/acsami.8b17396. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

Abstract

Inorganic cesium lead halide perovskite nanowires, generating laser emission in the broad spectral range at room temperature and low threshold, have become powerful tools for the cutting-edge applications in the optoelectronics and nanophotonics. However, to achieve high-quality nanowires with the outstanding optical properties, it was necessary to employ long-lasting and costly methods of their synthesis, as well as postsynthetic separation and transfer procedures that are not convenient for large-scale production. Here we report a novel approach to fabricate high-quality CsPbBr3 nanolasers obtained by rapid precipitation from dimethyl sulfoxide solution sprayed onto hydrophobic substrates at ambient conditions. The synthesis technique allows producing the well-separated nanowires with a broad size distribution of 2-50 μm in 5-7 min, being the fastest method to the best of our knowledge. The formation of nanowires occurs via ligand-assisted reprecipitation triggered by intermolecular proton transfer from (CH3)2CHOH to H2O in the presence of a minor amount of water. The XRD patterns confirm an orthorhombic crystal structure of the as-grown CsPbBr3 single nanowires. Scanning electron microscopy images reveal their regular shape and truncated pyramidal end facets, while high-resolution transmission electron microscopy ones demonstrate their single-crystal structure. The lifetime of excitonic emission of the nanowires is found to be 7 ns, when the samples are excited with energy below the lasing threshold, manifesting the low concentration of defect states. The measured nanolasers of different lengths exhibit pronounced stimulated emission above 13 μJ cm-2 excitation threshold with quality factor Q = 1017-6166. Their high performance is assumed to be related to their monocrystalline structure, low concentration of defect states, and improved end facet reflectivity.

Keywords: CsPbBr3; high Q-factor lasing; lead halide perovskite; nanolaser; nanowire; spraying; synthesis.