Water-Dispersible CsPbBr3 Perovskite Nanocrystals with Ultra-Stability and its Application in Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

Keqiang Chen; Kun Qi; Tong Zhou; Tingqiang Yang; Yupeng Zhang; Zhinan Guo; Chang-Keun Lim; Jiayong Zhang; Igor Žutic; Han Zhang; Paras N Prasad

doi:10.1007/s40820-021-00690-8

Water-Dispersible CsPbBr₃ Perovskite Nanocrystals with Ultra-Stability and its Application in Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction

Nanomicro Lett. 2021 Aug 12;13(1):172. doi: 10.1007/s40820-021-00690-8.

Authors

Keqiang Chen^{1

2}, Kun Qi¹, Tong Zhou³, Tingqiang Yang¹, Yupeng Zhang⁴, Zhinan Guo¹, Chang-Keun Lim^{2

5}, Jiayong Zhang⁶, Igor Žutic³, Han Zhang⁷, Paras N Prasad⁸

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Institute of Microscale Optoelectronics, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China.
² Institute for Lasers, Photonics, and Biophotonics, Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York , Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
³ Department of Physics, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Institute of Microscale Optoelectronics, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. ypzhang@szu.edu.cn.
⁵ Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, School of Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan City, 010000, Kazakhstan.
⁶ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Heat Fluid Flow Technology and Energy Application, School of Physical Science and Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215009, People's Republic of China.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Institute of Microscale Optoelectronics, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. hzhang@szu.edu.cn.
⁸ Institute for Lasers, Photonics, and Biophotonics, Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York , Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA. pnprasad@buffalo.edu.

Abstract

Thanks to the excellent optoelectronic properties, lead halide perovskites (LHPs) have been widely employed in high-performance optoelectronic devices such as solar cells and light-emitting diodes. However, overcoming their poor stability against water has been one of the biggest challenges for most applications. Herein, we report a novel hot-injection method in a Pb-poor environment combined with a well-designed purification process to synthesize water-dispersible CsPbBr₃ nanocrystals (NCs). The as-prepared NCs sustain their superior photoluminescence (91% quantum yield in water) for more than 200 days in an aqueous environment, which is attributed to a passivation effect induced by excess CsBr salts. Thanks to the ultra-stability of these LHP NCs, for the first time, we report a new application of LHP NCs, in which they are applied to electrocatalysis of CO₂ reduction reaction. Noticeably, they show significant electrocatalytic activity (faradaic yield: 32% for CH₄, 40% for CO) and operation stability (> 350 h).

Keywords: CsPbBr3 nanocrystals; Electrochemical CO2 reduction; Ultra-stability; Water-dispersible.