Broadband emission of double perovskite Cs2Na0.4Ag0.6In0.995Bi0.005Cl6:Mn2+ for single-phosphor white-light-emitting diodes.

In this Letter, we report the broadband photoluminescence of lead-free double perovskite Cs2Na0.4Ag0.6In0.95Bi0.05Cl6:Mn2+. Under ultraviolet excitation, the white phosphor shows two emission peaks at 550 nm and 610 nm from self-trapped exciton and doped Mn2+ ions, respectively, leading to a broad emission spectrum over the whole visible spectrum suitable for lighting application. The white-light-emitting diodes exhibit high light quality with CIE coordinates (0.38, 0.42) and color rendering index of 82.6. The mechanism of luminescence of this double perovskite is also discussed in this Letter.

Efficient organic dyes based on perpendicular 6,12-diphenyl substituted indolo[3,2-b]carbazole donor.

Three novel indolo[3,2-b]carbazole-based dyes have been designed and synthesized using a 6,12-diphenyl substituted indolo[3,2-b]carbazole core as a π-conjugated donor, a thiophene cyanoacrylic acid moiety as electron acceptor and anchoring group, together with triphenylamine, 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzene and bromine as a second donor group. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of the dyes have been investigated by UV spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Our study indicates that the second donor plays the important role of improving dye aggregation as well as tuning the photoelectronic properties. These indolo[3,2-b]carbazole based dyes show good performances with high Voc of 0.75 V, FF of 0.72, and a moderate PCE of 3.11% under AM 1.5 irradiation.

Oxide perovskite Ba2AgIO6 wafers for X-ray detection.

X-ray detection is of great significance in biomedical, nondestructive, and scientific research. Lead halide perovskites have recently emerged as one of the most promising materials for direct X-ray detection. However, the lead toxicity remains a worrisome concern for further commercial application. Great efforts have been made to search for lead-free perovskites with similar optoelectronic properties. Here, we present a lead-free oxide double perovskite material Ba2AgIO6 for X-ray detection. The lead-free, all-inorganic nature, as well as the high density of Ba2AgIO6, promises excellent prospects in X-ray applications. By employing the hydrothermal method, we successfully synthesized highly crystalline Ba2AgIO6 powder with pure phase. Furthermore, we prepared Ba2AgIO6 wafers through isostatic pressure and built X-ray detectors with Au/Ba2AgIO6 wafer/Au photo-conductive structure. The as-prepared X-ray detectors showed a sensitivity of 18.9 µC/(Gyair·cm2) at 5 V/mm, similar to commercial α-Se detectors showcasing their advantages for X-ray detection.

Efficient Blue Light Emitting Diodes Based On Europium Halide Perovskites.

Flat panel displays enjoy 100 billion-dollar markets with significant penetration in daily life, which require efficient, color-saturated blue, green, and red light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The recently emerged halide perovskites have demonstrated low-cost and outstanding performance for potential LED applications. However, the performance of blue perovskite LEDs (PeLEDs) lags far behind red and green cousins, particularly for color coordinates approaching (0.131, 0.046) that fulfill the Rec. 2020 specification for blue emitters. Here, a high-efficiency, lead-free perovskite, CsEuBr3 , is reported that exhibits bright blue exciton emission centered at 448 nm with a color coordinates of (0.15, 0.04), contributed from Eu-5d→Eu-4f/Br-4p transition with an optical band gap of 2.85 eV. Further optical characterizations reveal its short excited-state lifetime of 151 ns, excellent exciton diffusion diffusivity of 0.0227 cm2 s-1 , and high quantum yield of ≈69%. Inspired by these findings, deep-blue PeLEDs based on all-vacuum processing methods, which have been demonstrated as the most successful approach for the organic LED industry, are constructed. The devices show a maximum external quantum efficiency of 6.5% with an operating half-lifetime of 50 mins at an initial brightness of 15.9 cd m-2 . It is anticipated that this work will inspire further research on lanthanide-based perovskites for next-generation LED applications.

Lead-Free Perovskite Variant Solid Solutions Cs2 Sn1- x Tex Cl6 : Bright Luminescence and High Anti-Water Stability.

Underwater lighting is important for the exploration of the underwater world in different areas. It is of great significance for developing underwater emitters with high penetrability, high luminous efficiency, good anti-water stability, and environmental friendliness. Stable lead-free perovskite luminescent materials, represented by vacancy-ordered double perovskites, are worthy of research because they can almost meet the above requirements. Here, lead-free perovskite variant solid solutions with the formula of Cs2 Sn1- x Tex Cl6 are reported. Upon the exchange of Sn/Te ions, strong Jahn-Teller distortion of octahedra occurs in the lattice structure. The combination of Te luminescent center and Jahn-Teller-like self-trapped excitons gives this material yellow-green luminescence with a wavelength of 580 nm and a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 95.4%. Moreover, these solid solutions can withstand the extreme conditions of immersion in water probably due to the formation of amorphous alteration phase. Such good anti-water stability is also supported by the molecule dynamics simulation result that no reaction occurs on the water/Cs2 SnCl6 interface. The high luminous, suitable wavelength, and good anti-water stability enable the solid solutions suitable for the application for underwater lighting.

Inorganic antimony halide hybrids with broad yellow emissions.

Lead halide perovskites exhibit unexceptionable photoelectric properties. However, these materials are unsatisfactory in terms of stability and toxicity. Herein, we report Rb7Sb3Cl16 as a new kind of lead free perovskite variants. This material can be easily obtained through hydrothermal reactions. The composition is determined through structure refinement, elemental analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectra. Rb7Sb3Cl16 exhibits a broad yellow emission at 560 nm, with a Stokes shift of 175 nm and a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) around 26%. Rb7Sb3Cl16 also shows good thermal and water stability due to its inorganic composition. White light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are constructed by combining Rb7Sb3Cl16 as yellow phosphors, our previously reported Cs2SnCl6:2.75%Bi as blue phosphors, and commercial UV LED chips as the excitation source, producing a white light with the Commission Internationale de'Eclairage (CIE) color coordinates at (0.39, 0.38).

Lead-Free Halide Rb2 CuBr3 as Sensitive X-Ray Scintillator.

Scintillators are widely utilized for radiation detections in many fields, such as nondestructive inspection, medical imaging, and space exploration. Lead halide perovskite scintillators have recently received extensive research attention owing to their tunable emission wavelength, low detection limit, and ease of fabrication. However, the low light yields toward X-ray irradiation and the lead toxicity of these perovskites severely restricts their practical application. A novel lead-free halide is presented, namely Rb2 CuBr3 , as a scintillator with exceptionally high light yield. Rb2 CuBr3 exhibits a 1D crystal structure and enjoys strong carrier confinement and near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield (98.6%) in violet emission. The high photoluminescence quantum yield combined with negligible self-absorption from self-trapped exciton emission and strong X-ray absorption capability enables a record high light yield of ≈91056 photons per MeV among perovskite and relative scintillators. Overall, Rb2 CuBr3 provides nontoxicity, high radioluminescence intensity, and good stability, thus laying good foundations for potential application in low-dose radiography.

Aqueous Synthesis of Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals with High Water Stability and Bright Photoluminescence.

Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have attracted intense attention because of their excellent optoelectronic properties. The ionic nature of halide perovskites makes them highly vulnerable to water. Encapsulation of perovskite NCs with inorganic or organic materials has been reported to enhance their stability; however, they often suffer from large aggregation size, low water solubility, and difficulty for further surface functionalization. Here, we report a facile aqueous process to synthesize water-soluble CsPbBr3/Cs4PbBr6 NCs with the assistance of a fluorocarbon agent (FCA), which features a novel mechanism of the perovskite crystallization at the oil/water interface and direct perovskite NCs/FCA self-assembly in an aqueous environment. The products exhibit a high absolute photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of ∼80% in water with the PL lasting for weeks. Through successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction, BaSO4 was further applied to encapsulate the NCs, which greatly enhanced their stability in phosphate-buffered saline solutions. The high stability in water and saline solution, high PLQY, and tunable emission wavelength, together with the successful demonstration of brain tissue labeling and PL under X-ray excitation, make our perovskite NCs a promising choice for X-ray fluorescent biolabels.

New cobalt-mediated radical polymerization (CMRP) of methyl methacrylate initiated by two single-component dinuclear ß-diketone cobalt (II) catalysts.

Two dinuclear cobalt complexes based on bis-diketonate ligands (ligand 1: 3,3'-(1,3-phenylene)bis(1-phenylpropane-1,3-dione); ligand 2: 3,3'-(1,4-phenylene)bis(1-phenylpropane-1,3-dione)) were successfully synthesized. The two neutral catalysts all showed satisfactory activities in the cobalt-mediated radical polymerization (CMRP) of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with the common initiator of azodiisobutyronitrile (AIBN). The resulting polymerizations have all of the characteristics of a living polymerization and displayed linear semilogarithmic kinetic plots, a linear correlation between the number-average molecular weight and the monomer conversion, and low polydispersities. Mono- or dicomponent low polydispersity polymers could be obtained by using the two dinuclear catalysts under proper reaction conditions. All these improvements facilitate the implementation of the acrylate CMRP and open the door to the scale-up of the syntheses and applications of the multicomponent low polydispersity polymers.