Phase evolution of all-inorganic perovskite nanowires during its growth from quantum dots

Abstract

All-inorganic lead-halide perovskites have emerged as an exciting material owing to their excellent optoelectronic properties and high stability over hybrid organometallic perovskites. Nanowires of these materials, in particular, have shown great promise for optoelectronic applications due to their high optical absorption coefficient and low defect state density. However, the synthesis of the most promising alpha-Cesium lead iodide (α-CsPbI3) nanowires is challenging as it is metastable and spontaneously converts to a non-perovskite δ-phase. The hot-injection method is one of the most facile, well-controlled, and commonly used approaches for synthesizing CsPbX3 nanostructures. But the exact mechanism of growing these nanowires in this technique is not clear. Here, we show that the hot-injection method produces photoactive phases of quantum dots (QDs) and nanowires of CsPbBr3, and QDs of CsPbI3, but CsPbI3 nanowires are grown in their non-perovskite δ-phase. Monitoring the nanowire growth during the hot-injection technique and through detailed characterization, we establish that CsPbI3 nanowires are formed in the non-perovskite phase from the beginning rather than transforming after its growth from perovskite to a non-perovskite phase. We have discussed a possible mechanism of how non-perovskite nanowires of CsPbI3 grow at the expense of photoactive perovskite QDs. Our findings will help to synthesize nanostructures of all-inorganic perovskites with desired phases, which is essential for successful technological applications.