Ultra-stable blue-emitting lead-free double perovskite Cs2SnCl6 nanocrystals enabled by an aqueous synthesis on a microfluidic platform

Blue emitting Sn-based lead-free halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) are considered to be a promising material in lighting and displays. However, industrialised fabrication of blue-emitting NCs still remains a significant challenge due to the use of toxic solvents and optical instability, not mentioning in large-scale synthesis. In this work, a green-route synthesis of blue-emitting lead-free halide perovskite Cs2SnCl6 powders is developed, in which deionized water with a small amount of inorganic acid is used as the solvent and the synthesis of the Cs2SnCl6 powders is achieved on a microfluidic platform. Using the Cs2SnCl6 powders, we prepare Cs2SnCl6 NCs via an ultrasonication process. Changing the volume ratio of the ligands (oleic acid to oleylamine) can alter the photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of the prepared NCs, including the PL-peak wavelength, PL-peak intensity and quantum yield. The highest photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 13.4% is achieved by the Cs2SnCl6 NCs prepared with the volume ratio of oleic acid to oleylamine of 40 mu L to 10 mu L. A long-term PL stability test demonstrates that the as-synthesized Cs2SnCl6 NCs can retain a stable PLQY over a period of 60 days. This work opens up a new path for a large-scale green-route synthesis of blue-emitting Sn-based lead-free NCs, such as Cs2SnX6 (Cl, Br and I), towards their applications in optoelectronics.

Automated summary

This study develops a green-route synthesis method for blue-emitting lead-free halide perovskite Cs2SnCl6 powders, and prepares Cs2SnCl6 nanocrystals through ultrasonication. It is found that changing the volume ratio of the ligands can alter the photoluminescence characteristics of the nanocrystals. The synthesized Cs2SnCl6 nanocrystals exhibit stable photoluminescence quantum yield over a period of 60 days.