(184d) Facile Solution Synthesis of Chalcogenide Perovskite Nanoparticles

Recently, organic-inorganic halide perovskite solar absorbers have achieved efficiencies exceeding twenty percent. However, these materials are limited by their use of toxic constituent elements and tendency to degrade rapidly when exposed to environmental conditions. In contrast, inorganic perovskites are generally stable under ambient conditions, and can be fabricated from earth-abundant resources. Solution synthesized inorganic perovskites benefit from their straightforward and scalable production, high defect tolerance, and tunable optical properties. Oxide perovskites have been studied extensively because of their optic and electronic properties as well as their prevalence in nature. Typical research applications of oxide perovskites include capacitors, piezoelectric devices, and photocatalysts. However, the analogous chalcogenide perovskites; containing S, Se, or Te; have not been subject to such rigorous assessments. Many of the theoretically stable chalcogenide perovskites have predicted bandgaps within the optimal range for photovoltaic applications. They also may present optoelectronic properties ideal for electronic and photonic applications. The current, limited reports of syntheses of these materials rely on solid state methods. In contrast, here we present work in the solution-based synthesis of chalcogenide perovskite nanoparticles. These solution synthesis methods are advantageous not only for scalability and cost effectiveness but can also be used to vary size and shape of nanoparticles in order to exploit unique optoelectronic properties. Here, we focus on the synthesis mechanism and parameters, as well as the material and optical characterization of these materials.