Lead-halide perovskites have attracted tremendous attention, initially for their performance in thin film photovoltaics, and more recently for a variety of remarkable optical properties. Defect tolerance through polaron formation within the ionic lattice is a key aspect of these materials. Polaron formation arises from the dynamical coupling of atomic fluctuations to electronic states. Measuring the properties of these fluctuations is therefore essential in light of potential optoelectronic applications. Here we apply two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES) to probe the timescale and amplitude of the electronic gap correlations in CsPbI3 perovskite nanocrystals via homogeneous lineshape dynamics. The 2DES data reveal irreversible, diffusive dynamics that are qualitatively inconsistent with the coherent dynamics in covalent solids such as CdSe quantum dots. In contrast, these dynamics are consistent with liquid-like structural dynamics on the 100 femtosecond timescale. These dynamics are assigned to the optical signature of polaron formation, the conceptual solid-state analogue of solvation.

The electronic structure of multiexcitons significantly impacts the performance of nanostructures in lasing and light-emitting applications. However, these multiexcitons remain poorly understood due to their complexity arising from many-body physics. Standard transient-absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies are unable to unambiguously distinguish effects of sample inhomogeneity from exciton-biexciton interactions. Here, we exploit the energy and time resolution of two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy to access the electronic structure of the band-edge biexciton in colloidal CdSe quantum dots. By removing effects of inhomogeneities, we show that the band-edge biexciton structure must consist of a discrete manifold of electronic states. Furthermore, the biexciton states within the manifold feature distinctive binding energies. Our findings have direct implications for optical gain thresholds and efficiency droop in light-emitting devices and provide experimental measures of many-body physics in nanostructures.

Comparing the excited-state properties of a mixed-cation-mixed-halide perovskite to methylammonium lead iodide

Semiconductor nanocrystals emit light from excitons confined to their core, as well as from their surfaces. Time-resolving the emission from the core yields information on the band edge exciton, which is now well understood. In contrast, the emission from the surface is ill-characterized and remains poorly understood, especially on long time scales. In order to understand the kinetics of charge trapping to the surface and electronic relaxation within the surface, we perform time-resolved emission spectroscopy on CdSe nanocrystals with strong surface emission. The time-resolved spectra reveal a time scale of electron transfer from core to surface much slower than previously thought. These spectra also unveil electron dynamics in the surface band, which gives rise to an average lifetime spectrum. These dynamics are explained by invoking two surface states. This simple model further rationalizes the role of ligands in tuning the surface emission of nanocrystals. These experimental results provide a critical test of our understanding of the electronic structure of the surface.