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Abstract Quantum-confined CsPbBr3 perovskites are promising blue emitters for ultra-high-definition displays, but their soft lattice caused by highly ionic nature has a limited stability. Here, we endow CsPbBr3 nanoplatelets (NPLs) with atomic crystal-like structural rigidity through proper surface engineering, by using strongly bound N-dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA). A stable, rigid crystal structure, as well as uniform, orderly-arranged surface of these NPLs is achieved by optimizing intermediate reaction stage, by switching from molecular clusters to mono-octahedra, while interaction with DBSA resulted in formation of a CsxO monolayer shell capping the NPL surface. As a result, both structural and optical stability of the CsPbBr3 NPLs is enhanced by strong covalent bonding of DBSA, which inhibits undesired phase transitions and decomposition of the perovskite phase potentially caused by ligand desorption. Moreover, rather small amount of DBSA ligands at the NPL surface results in a short inter-NPL spacing in their closely-packed films, which facilitates efficient charge injection and transport. Blue photoluminescence of the produced CsPbBr3 NPLs is bright (nearly unity emission quantum yield) and peaks at 457 nm with an extremely narrow bandwidth of 3.7 nm at 80 K, while the bandwidth of the electroluminescence (peaked at 460 nm) also reaches a record-narrow value of 15 nm at room temperature. This value corresponds to the CIE coordinates of (0.141, 0.062), which meets Rec. 2020 standards for ultra-high-definition displays.

Abstract Decorating single atoms of transition metals on MXenes to enhance the electrocatalytic properties of the resulting composites is a useful strategy for developing efficient electrocatalysts, and the mechanisms behind this enhancement are under intense scrutiny. Herein, we anchored Co single atoms onto several commonly used MXene substrates (V2CTx, Nb2CTx and Ti3C2Tx) and systematically studied the electrocatalytic behavior and the mechanisms of oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions (OER and HER, respectively) of the resulting composites. Co@V2CTx composite displays an OER overpotential of 242 mV and an HER overpotential of 35 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH electrolyte, which is much lower than for Co@Nb2CTx and Co@Ti3C2Tx, making it comparable to the commercial noble metal Pt/C and RuO2/C electrocatalysts. The experimental and theoretical results point out that the enhanced bifunctional catalytic performance of Co@V2CTx benefits from the stronger hybridization between Co 3d and surface terminated O 2p orbitals which optimized the electronic structure of Co single atoms in the composite. This, in turn, results in lowering the OER and HER energy barriers and acceleration of the catalytic kinetics in case of the Co@V2CTx composite. The advantage of Co@V2CTx was further validated by its high overall water splitting performance (1.60 V to deliver 10 mA cm−2). Our study sheds light on the origins of the catalytic activity of single transition metals atoms on MXene substrates, and provides guidelines for designing efficient bifunctional MXene‐based electrocatalysts.

Using different chiral precursor molecules, we produced chiral CDs with superior optical properties, such as two-photon absorption, high photoluminescence quantum yield reaching 57%, and chiral signals in the UV-Vis spectral region.

This review focuses on chiral carbon dots, introducing their chemical syntheses, morphology and optical/chiroptical properties, and considering their emerging applications in sensing, bioimaging and catalysis.

Owing to large exciton binding energy, quasi-2D perovskite is promising for light-emitting application, yet inhomogeneous phases distribution limits the potential. Here, the authors improve the performance by using MeS additive to regulate the phase distribution and to reduce defect density in the films.

Lead–halide perovskite nanocrystals are an attractive class of materials since they can be easily fabricated, their optical properties can be tuned all over the visible spectral range, and they possess high emission quantum yields and narrow photoluminescence linewidths. Doping perovskites with lanthanides is one of the ways to widen the spectral range of their emission, making them attractive for further applications. Herein, we summarize the recent progress in the synthesis of ytterbium-doped perovskite nanocrystals in terms of the varying synthesis parameters such as temperature, ligand molar ratio, ytterbium precursor type, and dopant content. We further consider the dependence of morphology (size and ytterbium content) and optical parameters (photoluminescence quantum yield in visible and near-infrared spectral ranges) on the synthesis parameters. The developed open-source code approximates those dependencies as multiple-parameter linear regression and allows us to estimate the value of the photoluminescence quantum yield from the parameters of the perovskite synthesis. Further use and promotion of an open-source database will expand the possibilities of the developed code to predict the synthesis protocols for doped perovskite nanocrystals.

Herein, it is shown how a proton transfer process between the organic moiety in 3D methylammonium lead halide perovskite and the introduced aliphatic alkylamines provides the basis for a fabrication route toward hybrid 3D/2D perovskites and finally purely 2D Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) perovskite phases, predominantly the n = 1 phase. Five alkylamines with varying aliphatic chain lengths, such as butylamine, octylamine, dodecylamine, hexadecylamine, and octadecylamine as antisolvents in toluene, are used, which quickly protonate during the spin‐coating deposition of thin perovskite films. Formation of hydrogen bonds between protonated alkylamines and lead halide slabs leads to mixed 3D/2D hybrid perovskites, where the ratio between the 3D and 2D phases can be adjusted by the concentration of the alkylamine containing antisolvents. Longer‐chain aliphatic alkylamines (12 carbon atoms or greater) are most prone to slice 3D perovskite into layered perovskites with efficient green emission reaching up to 38% for their photoluminescence quantum yield in films. Above a certain concentration threshold, 3D perovskite can be completely modified into 2D RP perovskite phases with crystalline orientation parallel to the substrate. The introduced facile perovskite phase modification approach provides a convenient way toward different kinds of 2D RP metal halide perovskite films with attractive optical properties.

Lead halide perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) promise applications in optoelectronics but are limited by sensitivity to wet environments. Here the authors develop a Pb-S bonding approach to synthesize PQDs@silica nanodots that are capable of emitting and lasing in aqueous environments for long periods.

Carbon dots can be used for the fabrication of colloidal multi-purpose complexes for sensing and bio-visualization due to their easy and scalable synthesis, control of their spectral responses over a wide spectral range, and possibility of surface functionalization to meet the application task. Here, we developed a chemical protocol of colloidal complex formation via covalent bonding between carbon dots and plasmonic metal nanoparticles in order to influence and improve their fluorescence. We demonstrate how interactions between carbon dots and metal nanoparticles in the formed complexes, and thus their optical responses, depend on the type of bonds between particles, the architecture of the complexes, and the degree of overlapping of absorption and emission of carbon dots with the plasmon resonance of metals. For the most optimized architecture, emission enhancement reaching up to 5.4- and 4.9-fold for complexes with silver and gold nanoparticles has been achieved, respectively. Our study expands the toolkit of functional materials based on carbon dots for applications in photonics and biomedicine to photonics.

Abstract Copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs) have recently emerged as promising luminophores, featuring ultra‐small size, reasonable photostability, large Stokes shift, and long emission lifetimes. Aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) has been often used to further improve both the emission intensity and stability of these clusters, with plenty of potential applications in the fields of chemical sensing and bioimaging. This review starts with a summary of the current understanding of emission mechanisms of Cu NCs and proceeds with the analysis of contributions from the Cu metal core and the organic ligands. We summarize the recent research progress on the design of ligands, and the ways on how to induce aggregation of the Cu NCs through electrostatic charge neutralization, host‐guest interactions, and the use of templates. We also discuss the current understanding of emission mechanisms of Cu NCs experiencing AIE, such as the often‐cited restriction of intramolecular motion and contributions from Cu(I) molecular complexes. We finish this review by providing concluding remarks and offering our own perspective on the active field of AIE of Cu NCs, with a hope to further promote the research on the fundamental aspects of this useful phenomenon.

Abstract A novel concept of the heterophase optics-electronics synergistic effect has been demonstrated in a single-layer α/δ-heterophase perovskite CsPbI3 in order to realize white LEDs featuring only one broadband emissive layer.

Abstract Rational design of bifunctional efficient electrocatalysts for both oxygen reduction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER) is desirable—while highly challenging—for development of rechargeable metal–air batteries. Herein, an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst is designed and fabricated by encapsulating Co nanoparticles in interconnected N‐doped hollow porous carbon nanofibers (designated as Co@N‐C/PCNF) using an ultrafast high‐temperature shock technology. Benefiting from the synergistic effect and intrinsic activity of the CoNC moiety, as well as porous structure of carbon nanofibers, the Co@N‐C/PCNF composite shows high bifunctional electrocatalytic activities for both OER (289 mV at 10 mA cm−2) and ORR (half‐wave potential of 0.85 V). The CoNC moiety in the composite can modulate the local environmental and electrical structure of the catalysts, thus optimizing the adsorption/desorption kinetics and decreasing the reaction barriers for promoting the reversible oxygen electrocatalysis. Co@N‐C/PCNF‐based aqueous Zn–air batteries (AZAB) provide high power density of 292 mW cm−2, and the assembled flexible ZAB can power wearable devices.

All-inorganic cesium lead bromide perovskite based light-emitting diodes show improved operational stability but the film quality limits their performance. Here Wang et al. use trifluoroacetate anions to passivate defects and achieve excellent device performance and stability.

Lanthanide ions are appealing for luminescence applications due to their sharp and tunable emission lines spanning the whole spectral range. However, the parity‐forbidden nature of the electronic transition in lanthanide ions typically results in ineffective excitation processes, which is a major obstacle to practical applications of lanthanide‐based luminescent materials. Herein, a general method to sensitize lanthanide luminescence within a semiconductor host of CaZnOS is developed. Efficient energy transfer from the host to a series of lanthanide ions with the assistance of Cu+ or Mn2+ codopants is demonstrated, which introduces intermediate energy states to mediate the energy transfer processes. Accordingly, a wide spectrum of emission is achieved by a single band excitation in the near‐ultraviolet region. Due to the efficient host sensitization, a phosphor‐converted light‐emitting diode (LED) is constructed by integrating the lanthanide‐doped CaZnOS with an ultraviolet LED chip, which is used for near‐infrared studies of biological tissues.

Carbon dots (CDs) with an emission in the near infrared spectral region are attractive due to their promising applications in bio-related areas, while their fabrication still remains a challenging task. Herein, we developed a template-assisted method using porous silica microspheres for the formation of CDs with optical transitions in the near infrared. Two organic dyes, Rhodamine 6G and IR1061 with emission in the yellow and near infrared spectral regions, respectively, were used as precursors for CDs. Correlation of morphology and chemical composition with optical properties of obtained CDs revealed the origin of their emission, which is related to the CDs’ core optical transitions and dye-derivatives within CDs. By varying annealing temperature, different kinds of optical centers as derivatives of organic dyes are formed in the microsphere’s pores. The template-assisted method allows us to synthesize CDs with an emission peaked at 1085 nm and photoluminescence quantum yield of 0.2%, which is the highest value reported so far for CDs emitting at wavelengths longer than 1050 nm.

Abstract One‐dimensional semiconductor nanostructures have already been used for a variety of optoelectronic applications. Metal halide perovskites have emerged in recent years as promising high‐performance optoelectronic materials, but reports on 1D nanorods (NRs) of all‐inorganic halide perovskites are still scarce. This work demonstrates a synthetic strategy toward cesium‐based inorganic perovskite NRs by exploiting composition‐controlled crystal phase engineering. It is accomplished for Cd‐rich mixed‐cation CsPb1‐xCdxBr3 nanocrystals, where the initial 1D hexagonal perovskite phase drives the growth of the 1D NRs, as supported by first‐principles calculations. The band gaps of the resulting NRs are tunable by varying the Cd‐content, and the highly uniform CsPb0.08Cd0.92Br3 NRs (with an average length of 84 nm and width of 16 nm) exhibit a true blue‐color emission centered at 460 nm, with a high quantum yield of 48%. Moreover, this work also demonstrates the tunability of the Fermi levels in the films made of CsPb1‐xCdxBr3 alloyed nanocrystals, where samples with highest Cd content show an increase of the electron concentration and a related increase in the conductivity.

Abstract Narrow bandgap semiconductor‐based photodetectors often suffer from high room‐temperature noise and are therefore operated at low temperatures. Here, a hybrid poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT): HgTe quantum dot (QD) phototransistor is reported, which exhibits high sensitivity and fast photodetection up to 2400 nm wavelength range at room temperature. The active layer of the phototransistor consists of HgTe QDs well dispersed in a P3HT matrix. Fourier‐transform infrared spectra confirm that chemical grafting between P3HT and HgTe QDs is realized after undergoing prolonged coblend stirring and a ligand exchange process. Thanks to the shifting of the charge transport into the P3HT and the partial passivation of the surface traps of HgTe QDs in the blend, the P3HT: HgTe QD hybrid phototransistor shows significantly improved gate‐voltage tuning, 15 times faster response, and ≈80% reduction in the noise level compared to a pristine HgTe QD control device. More than 1011 Jones specific detectivity (estimated from the noise spectral density measured at 1 kHz) is achieved at room temperature, and the response time (measured at 22 mW cm−2 illumination intensity) of the device is less than 1.5 µs. That is comparable to commercial epitaxially grown IR photodetectors operated in the same wavelength range.

Abstract Herein, emerging applications of luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals are addressed, such as quantum dots and quantum rods as down‐conversion materials used in liquid crystal displays (LCD). Their precisely tunable emission wavelengths and narrow emission bandwidths offer high color purity resulting in a wide color gamut with vivid colors for LCDs. Anisotropic materials, such as quantum rods, have the additional advantage of polarized emission, which can bring a significant improvement to the efficiency of LCD displays. The basic optical properties of these nanomaterials are considered, with a focus on quantum rods, and the challenges and progress in their assembly are discussed. Different techniques for quantum rod alignment are introduced such as shear‐oriented, electric field and magnetic field assisted assembly, mechanical rubbing, stretching, and electrospinning. The photoalignment approach allows for an easy arrangement of quantum rods in‐plane, and the implications of this method to patterning are considered. Different configurations of LCDs utilizing semiconductor quantum dots and quantum rods as down‐conversion layers are also presented, and the potential applications that are enabled by the wide range of emerging materials are highlighted.

Background Fat grafting, or lipofilling, represent frequent clinically used entities. The fate of these transplants is still not predictable, whereas only few animal models are available for further research. Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanocrystals which can be conveniently tracked in vivo due to photoluminescence. Methods Fat grafts in cluster form were labeled with cadmium-telluride (CdTe)-QD 770 and transplanted subcutaneously in a murine in vivo model. Photoluminescence levels were serially followed in vivo. Results Tracing of fat grafts was possible for 50 days with CdTe-QD 770. The remaining photoluminescence was 4.9%±2.5% for the QDs marked fat grafts after 30 days and 4.2%± 1.7% after 50 days. There was no significant correlation in the relative course of the tracking signal, when vital fat transplants were compared to non-vital graft controls. Conclusions For the first-time fat grafts were tracked in vivo with CdTe-QDs. CdTe-QDs could offer a new option for in vivo tracking of fat grafts for at least 50 days, but do not document vitality of the grafts.

Lead-free two-dimensional metal halide perovskites have recently emerged as promising light-emitting materials due to their improved stability and attractive optical properties. Herein, a facile room temperature wet milling method has been developed to make Dion–Jacobson (DJ) phase ODASnBr4 perovskite microcrystals, whose crystallization was accomplished via the aid of introduced primary alcohols: ethanol, butanol, pentanol, and hexanol. Due to the strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding, the use of ethanol promoted the formation of non-doped ODASnBr4 microcrystals, with an emission peaked at 599 nm and a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) of 81%. By introducing other primary alcohols with weaker intermolecular hydrogen bonding such as butanol, pentanol, and hexanol, [SnBr6]4− octahedral slabs of the DJ perovskite microcrystals experienced various degrees of expansion while forming O–H…Br hydrogen bonds. This resulted in the emission spectra of these alcohol-doped microcrystals to be adjusted in the range from 572 to 601 nm, while keeping the PL QY high, at around 89%. Our synthetic strategy provides a viable pathway towards strongly emitting lead-free DJ perovskite microcrystals with an improved stability.

The development of perovskite nanocrystals is limited by poor mechanistic understanding of their growth. Here, the authors systematically study the ligand-assisted reprecipitation synthesis of CH3NH3PbBr3 nanocrystals, revealing the effect of precursor and ligand concentrations on bandgap tunability.

Abstract To guide the design of plasmonic solar cells, theoretical investigation of core (metal)-shell (dielectric) nanoparticles for light absorption enhancement in thin film Si solar cells is performed. In contrast to the reported simulations and experimental results that rear-located surface plasmon on bare metallic nanoparticles is preferred, the core-shell nanoparticles demonstrate better performance when surface plasmon is located in front of a solar cell. This has been attributed to the enhanced forward scattering with vanishing backward scattering preserved over a wide spectral range in core-shell nanoparticles. This work provides a concept to achieve enhanced forward scattering with weakened backward scattering in plasmonic thin film solar cells.

Abstract Colloidal all‐inorganic perovskite nanocrystals have gained significant attention as a promising material for both fundamental and applied research due to their excellent emission properties. However, reported photoluminescence quantum yields (PL QYs) of blue‐emitting perovskite nanocrystals are rather low, mostly due to the fact that the high energy excitons for such wide bandgap materials are easily captured by interband traps, and then decay nonradiatively. In this work, it is demonstrated how to tackle this issue, performing self‐assembly of 2D perovskite nanoplatelets into larger size (≈50 nm × 50 nm × 20 nm) cuboid crystals. In these structures, 2D nanoplatelets being isolated from each other within the cuboidal scaffold by organic ligands constitute multiple quantum wells, where exciton localization on potential disorder sites helps them to bypass nonradiative channels present in other platelets. As a result, the cuboid crystals show an extremely high PL QY of 91% of the emission band centered at 480 nm. Moreover, using the same synthetic method, mixed‐anion CsPb(Br/Cl)3 cuboid crystals with blue emission peaks ranging from 452 to 470 nm, and still high PL QYs in the range of 72–83% are produced.

Carbon dots (CDs) are an attractive class of nanomaterials due to the ease of their synthesis, biocompatibility, and superior optical properties. The electronic structure of CDs and hence their optical transitions can be controlled and tuned over a wide spectral range via the choice of precursors, adjustment of the synthetic conditions, and post-synthetic treatment. We summarize recent progress in the synthesis of CDs emitting in different colors in terms of morphology and optical properties of the resulting nanoparticles, with a focus on the synthetic approaches allowing to shift their emission to longer wavelengths. We further consider formation of CD-based composite materials, and review approaches used to prevent aggregation and self-quenching of their emission. We then provide examples of applications of CDs in optoelectronic devices, such as solar cells and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with a focus on white LEDs.

We introduced atomic sulfur passivation to tune the surface sites of heavy metal-free ZnSe nanorods, with a Zn2+-rich termination surface, which are initially capped with organic ligands and under-coordinated with Se. The S2− ions from a sodium sulfide solution were used to partially substitute a 3-mercaptopropionic acid ligand, and to combine with under-coordinated Zn termination atoms to form a ZnS monolayer on the ZnSe surface. This treatment removed the surface traps from the ZnSe nanorods, and passivated defects formed during the previous ligand exchange process, without sacrificing the efficient hole transfer. As a result, without using any co-catalysts, the atomic sulfur passivation increased the photocurrent density of TiO2/ZnSe photoanodes from 273 to 325 μA/cm2. Notably, without using any sacrificial agents, the photocurrent density for sulfur-passivated TiO2/ZnSe nanorod-based photoanodes remained at almost 100% of its initial value after 300 s of continuous operation, while for the post-deposited ZnS passivation layer, or those based on ZnSe/ZnS core–shell nanorods, it declined by 28% and 25%, respectively. This work highlights the advantages of the proper passivation of II-VI semiconductor nanocrystals as an efficient approach to tackle the efficient charge transfer and stability of photoelectrochemical cells based thereon.

Luminescent composites based on entirely non-toxic, environmentally friendly compounds are in high demand for a variety of applications in photonics and optoelectronics. Carbon dots are a recently developed kind of luminescent nanomaterial that is eco-friendly, biocompatible, easy-to-obtain, and inexpensive, with a stable and widely tunable emission. Herein, we introduce luminescent composites based on carbon dots of different chemical compositions and with different functional groups at the surface which were embedded in a nanoporous silicate glass. The structure and optical properties of these composites were comprehensively examined using electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared transmission, UV-Vis absorption, and steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence. It is shown that the silicate matrix efficiently preserved, and even enhanced the emission of different kinds of carbon dots tested. The photoluminescence quantum yield of the fabricated nanocomposite materials reached 35–40%, which is comparable to or even exceeds the values for carbon dots in solution.