Inorganic Colloidal Perovskite Quantum Dots for Robust Solar CO₂ Reduction

Abstract

Inorganic perovskite quantum dots as optoelectronic materials have attracted enormous attention in light-harvesting and emitting devices. However, photocatalytic conversion based on inorganic perovskite halides has not been reported. Here, we have synthesized colloidal quantum dots (QDs, 3-12 nm) of cesium lead halide perovskites (CsPbBr₃ ) as a new type of photocatalytic material. The band gap energies and photoluminescence (PL) spectra are tunable over the visible spectral region according to quantum size effects on an atomic scale. The increased carrier lifetime revealed by time-resolved PL spectra, indicates the efficient electron-hole separation and transfer. As expected, the CsPbBr₃ QDs with high selectivity of greater than 99 % achieve an efficient yield of 20.9 μmol g^-1 towards solar CO₂ reduction. This work has opened a new avenue for inorganic colloidal perovskite materials as efficient photocatalysts to convert CO₂ into valuable fuels.