Aqueous Synthesis of Methylammonium Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals

Methylammonium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals offer attractive optoelectronic properties but suffer from fast degradation in the presence of water. In contradiction to this observation, we demonstrate the possibility of a direct aqueous synthesis of CH₃NH₃PbX₃ (X=Br or Cl/Br) nanocrystals through the reaction between the lead halide complex and methylamine when the pH is maintained in the range of 0–5. Under these synthetic conditions, the positively charged surface of the perovskite nanocrystals and the proper ionic balance help to prevent their decomposition in water. Additional surface capping with organic amine ligands further improves the photoluminescence quantum yield of the perovskite nanocrystals to values close to 40 %, ensures their stability under ambient conditions for several months, and their photoluminescence performance under continuous 0.1 W mm⁻² 405 nm light irradiation for over 250 hours.