Essentially Trap-Free CsPbBr₃ Colloidal Nanocrystals by Postsynthetic Thiocyanate Surface Treatment

Abstract

We demonstrate postsynthetic modification of CsPbBr₃ nanocrystals by a thiocyanate salt treatment. This treatment improves the quantum yield of both freshly synthesized (PLQY ≈ 90%) and aged nanocrystals (PLQY ≈ 70%) to within measurement error (2-3%) of unity, while simultaneously maintaining the shape, size, and colloidal stability. Additionally, the luminescence decay kinetics transform from multiexponential decays typical of nanocrystalline semiconductors with a distribution of trap sites, to a monoexponential decay, typical of single energy level emitters. Thiocyanate only needs to access a limited number of CsPbBr₃ nanocrystal surface sites, likely representing under-coordinated lead atoms on the surface, in order to have this effect.