Photostability of CsPbBr3 nanocrystals modified with poly(ethylene adipate)

Abstract All inorganic CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals (NCs) have gained significant attention due to their potential as light-emitting diodes, solar cells and other optoelectronic devices. However, to a certain extent, the stability issues of CsPbBr 3 NCs under water, light, and thermal conditions limit their further applications. In order to improve stability, this article proposes a strategy of modifying CsPbBr 3 NCs with poly(ethylene adipate) (PEA). The surface passivation of macromolecular polymer PEA not only increases the distance between NCs which inhibits the aggregation of small NCs, but also provides a dense protective layer to protect NCs from corrosion by water, air and light. Therefore, the performance of PEA-modified CsPbBr 3 NCs in terms of optical properties and stability is significantly improved. The photoluminescence intensity of PEA-modified CsPbBr 3 NCs remains at about 40% of the initial intensity when heated to 100 °C, while that of pure CsPbBr 3 NCs has decreased to less than 10%. The photoluminescence intensity of PEA-modified CsPbBr 3 NCs decreased to 83% of the initial intensity after 7 cycles of heating to 100 °C and then cooling to room temperature, while that of pure CsPbBr 3 NCs decreased to 13%. Meanwhile, the PL intensity of PEA-modified CsPbBr 3 NCs remained at 66% of the initial intensity after 10 h under 365 nm ultraviolet light, and there is no obvious red shift in PL spectra, while the PL intensity of pure CsPbBr 3 NCs only maintained 21% of the initial intensity, accompanied by obvious red shift in PL spectra. The results show that the PEA-modified CsPbBr 3 NCs have a positive effect on stability.