Conspectus
Following the impressive development of bulk
lead-based perovskite
photovoltaics, the “perovskite fever” did not spare
nanochemistry. In just a few years, colloidal cesium lead halide perovskite
nanocrystals have conquered researchers worldwide with their easy
synthesis and color-pure photoluminescence. These nanomaterials promise
cheap solution-processed lasers, scintillators, and light-emitting
diodes of record brightness and efficiency. However, that promise
is threatened by poor stability and unwanted reactivity issues, throwing
down the gauntlet to chemists.
More generally, Cs–Pb–X
nanocrystals have opened
an exciting chapter in the chemistry of colloidal nanocrystals, because
their ionic nature and broad diversity have challenged many paradigms
established by nanocrystals of long-studied metal chalcogenides, pnictides,
and oxides. The chemistry of colloidal Cs–Pb–X nanocrystals
is synonymous with change: these materials demonstrate an intricate
pattern of shapes and compositions and readily transform under physical
stimuli or the action of chemical agents. In this Account, we walk
through four types of Cs–Pb–X nanocrystal metamorphoses:
change of structure, color, shape, and surface. These transformations
are often interconnected; for example, a change in shape may also
entail a change of color.
The ionic bonding, high anion mobility
due to vacancies, and preservation
of cationic substructure in the Cs–Pb–X compounds enable
fast anion exchange reactions, allowing the precise control of the
halide composition of nanocrystals
of perovskites and related compounds (e.g., CsPbCl
3
⇄
CsPbBr
3
⇄ CsPbI
3
and Cs
4
PbCl
6
⇄ Cs
4
PbBr
6
⇄ Cs
4
PbI
6
) and tuning of their absorption edge and bright photoluminescence
across the visible spectrum. Ion exchanges, however, are just one
aspect of a richer chemistry.
Cs–Pb–X nanocrystals
are able to capture or release
(in short, trade) ions or even neutral species from or to the surrounding
environment, causing major changes to their structure and properties.
The trade of neutral PbX
2
units allows Cs–Pb–X
nanocrystals to cross the boundaries among four different types of
compounds: 4CsX + PbX
2
⇄ Cs
4
PbBr
6
+ 3PbX
2
⇄ 4CsPbBr
3
+ PbX
2
⇄ 4CsPb
2
X
5
. These reactions
do not occur at random, because the reactant and product nanocrystals
are connected by the Cs
+
cation substructure preservation
principle, stating that ion trade reactions can transform one compound
into another by means of distorting, expanding, or contracting their
shared Cs
+
cation substructu...