Tackling toxicity and stability using eco-friendly metal-halide ion substituted perovskite nanocrystals for advanced display color conversion

In recent years organic–inorganic hybrid halide perovskites nanocrystals have made a remarkable impact in display color converting layer application. However, lead toxicity and stability issues always pose arduous challenges. In this regard, the incorporation of a suitable metal ion to reduce toxicity and enhance stability is a widely tested method. In this study, we used a simple ligand-assisted reprecipitation (LARP) technique to simultaneously introduce metal ion and halide ion substitution by synthesizing MAPb_1-xZn_xBr_3-2xCl_2x nanocrystals (NCs). Being eco-friendly with a smaller ionic radius than lead ion, zinc metal ion was chosen as a substitute. With the variation of Zn²⁺ concentration, the highest quantum yield of 95 % was recorded with an emission width of 21 nm. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) studies revealed the higher optical phonon-exciton interaction after Zn²⁺ incorporation leading to radiative transition in NCs. Variation of PL peak energy with temperature revealed the reduced thermal chromaticity of Zn²⁺ incorporated NCs making them suitable for display application. Further, these NCs maintained a stable cubic structure and luminescence up to 150 °C, indicating higher thermal stability. The MAPb_0.9Zn_0.1Br_2.8Cl_0.2 (x = 0.1 or 10 mol%) NCs embedded in PMMA (poly (methyl methacrylate) polymer matrix coated LED emits narrow width, green light with color coordinate (0.15, 0.79), which is closer to green coordinate (0.17, 0.79) in Rec.2020. This helps to reproduce close to 97 % color gamut of Rec.2020. This research paves the way for finding less toxic and stable green light-emitting materials instead of cadmium-based molecules.