UC Berkeley

Because of the toxicity of lead, searching for a lead-free halide perovskite semiconducting material with comparable optical and electronic properties is of great interest. Rare-earth-based halide perovskite represents a promising class of materials for this purpose. In this work, we demonstrate the solution-phase synthesis of single-crystalline CsEuCl₃ nanocrystals with a uniform size distribution centered around 15 nm. The CsEuCl₃ nanocrystals have photoluminescence emission centered at 435 nm, with a full width at half-maximum of 19 nm. Furthermore, CsEuCl₃ nanocrystals can be embedded in a polymer matrix that provides enhanced stability under continuous laser irradiation. Lead-free rare-earth cesium europium halide perovskite nanocrystals represent a promising candidate to replace lead halide perovskites.