A “Tips and Tricks” Practical Guide to the Synthesis of Metal Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals

Metal halide perovskite nanocrystals offer a range of interesting properties and are being studied extensively for applications in solar cells, photodetectors and light-emitting devices. This perspective provides a number of best practices for the synthesis, purification, and characterization of metal halide perovskite nanocrystals, with detailed discussion of CsPbI3, CsPbBr3, CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPI), and Cs2AgBiBr6 as examples. The choice of reactants and ligands for hot-injection reactions are discussed, as well as how various reaction conditions, including temperature and time, affect yield, uniformity, and crystal phase. We extensively discuss the use of antisolvent precipitation methods for purification, since ligand coordination to most perovskite nanocrystals is weak and the nanocrystals are sensitive to degradation. Finally, we discuss some of the strategies for imaging these nanocrystals using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).