3D hybrid perovskite solid solutions: a facile approach for deposition of nanoparticles and thin films via B-site substitution.

Mixed metal halide perovskites are gaining paramount interest due to efficient band gap tenability and improved optical properties compared to their single metal halide perovskites. It is thus valuable to investigate compositional changes in lead halide perovskites to explore energy changes. Herein, we report the synthesis of a lead to lead free hybrid perovskite solid solution (CH3NH3Pb1−xCuxBr3) as nanoparticles and films. The increasing concentration of Cu2+ ions in the site of the Pb2+ ion in the perovskite shifted the diffraction peaks to a larger angle. Uniform spherically shaped nanoparticles were synthesized by a wet chemical method, the higher Cu2+ concentration leads to agglomeration, producing sheet like morphologies. However, the deposition of thin films of CH3NH3Pb1−xCuxBr3 perovskite solid solution shows that well defined morphologies begin to appear with increasing concentrations of Cu2+ in the perovskite structure. The as-prepared bulk lead free CH3NH3CuBr3 perovskite shows a band gap of 1.65 eV. A blue shift in photoluminescence (PL) was observed with copper enriched hybrid perovskites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]