Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati are exploring novel methods to finetune perovskite nanocrystals for optoelectronics applications.
Optoelectronics is the study of electronic devices and systems that find, detect and control light.
According to officials, “there is extensive research all over the world in developing materials for use in solar cells and light-emitting devices. Of the many materials being developed, perovskites are the most common ones.”
Perovskites are a family of crystals that have optoelectronic properties, suitable for light-emitting and light-absorbing applications.
Perovskite Nano-Crystals (PNCs) are a hundred thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair. It is extensively explored through specific optoelectronic properties such as tunable bandgaps, narrow emission, and strong light-absorption coefficients.
The ongoing research has also been published in ‘Chemistry-A European Journal’.
“Despite the promise, the use of perovskite nanocrystals in solar cells and light-emitting applications has been hindered by their poor stability in air and moisture. While many research groups have been working towards overcoming the water sensitivity of perovskite nanocrystals, we studied ways in which water sensitivity can be used constructively,” said Tushar Debnath, Ramanujan faculty in IIT Guwahati’s Centre for Nanotechnology.
“The team capitalized on the highly ionic nature of the perovskite crystal structure to engineer water-triggered chemical transformation to produce stable and bright PNCs. They have reviewed earlier research on interfacial chemistry between aqueous and non-aqueous phases and the effects of doping on the interaction between water and the perovskite nanocrystals,” he added.
Debnath elaborated that the review demonstrates that water can be beneficial for perovskites, if utilized properly and may result into the construction of numerous designed structures.
The researchers have put forth various water-trigger strategies that can be easily expanded to create several perovskites with distinct compositions and perovskite heterostructures.
