Selective Growth of FAPbBr₃ Nanocrystals with Precisely Tailored Optical Properties for Advanced Optoelectronic Applications

Understanding the evolution of semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) during their colloidal synthesis is essential for achieving improved control over their physical and chemical properties. The fast reaction kinetics and concurrent nucleation and growth periods of lead halide perovskite NCs pose significant challenges in controlling the synthesis. Here, we present the room-temperature colloidal synthesis of FAPbBr3 NCs with physically decoupled nucleation and growth periods by using the common oleylamine and oleic acid ligand pair for lead halide perovskite NCs. Importantly, in this method, the nucleation and growth phases are entirely decoupled by halting the reaction at a metastable state, where the FAPbBr3 nuclei are formed. Subsequently, preformed FAPbBr3 nuclei are selectively grown by increasing supersaturation. This is achieved by reducing the monomer solubility through the injection of oleic acid into the solution. Notably, two-dimensional perovskite nanostructures form as intermediate products during the synthesis. Furthermore, the size of the FAPbBr3 NCs is tuned from 5.7 to 13.5 nm by controlling the injected oleic acid amount. Photoluminescence quantum yields of the FAPbBr3 perovskite NCs synthesized by using this method reached up to 95%. These findings demonstrate a robust strategy for the controlled synthesis of FAPbBr3 perovskite NCs, providing precisely tailored optical properties for advanced applications such as solar cells, photodetectors, and light-emitting diodes.