A major
application limit for lead halide perovskite nanocrystals
(NCs) is the presence of the highly toxic lead element, raising critical
concerns of environmental pollution and health problems. To address
this issue, tin halide perovskite NCs have been pushed to the forefront
of perovskite research owing to their eco-friendly merit and tantalizing
photophysical properties. In this Review, we critically summarize
and assess the latest advances in the synthesis approaches of tin
halide perovskite NCs including the hot injection, ligand-assisted
reprecipitation, and chemical vapor deposition. More specifically,
we detail the state-of-the-art preliminary studies in modulating their
photophysical properties and in enhancing the stability with a variety
of strategies such as precursor engineering, ligand engineering, and
alloyed structure construction. Finally, we highlight the remaining
challenges that need to be overcome to attain tin halide perovskite
NCs with clear structure–property relationships and comparable
physical and chemical properties to their lead-based cousins.