Organic Lead Halide Nanocrystals Providing an Ultra-Wide Color Gamut with Almost-Unity Photoluminescence Quantum Yield

Bright Structural-Phase-Pure CsPbI3 Core-PbSO4 Shell Nanoplatelets With Ultra-Narrow Emission Bandwidth of 77 meV at 630 nm

Achieving a narrow emission bandwidth is long pursued for display applications. Among all primary colors, obtaining pure red emission with high visual perception is the most challenging. In this work, CsPbI3 halide perovskite nanoplatelets (NPLs) with rigorously controlled 2D  [PbI6]4- octahedron layer number (n) are demonstrated. A perovskite core-PbSO4 shell structure is designed to prevent aggregation and fusion between NPLs, enabling consistent thickness and quantum confinement strength for each NPL. Consequently, exact n = 4 CsPbI3 NPLs are demonstrated, exhibiting emission peaks around 630 nm, with very narrow spectral bandwidths of <24 nm and high absolute photoluminescence quantum yields up to 85%. The emission of n = 4 NPLs falls exactly within the pure-red region, closely aligning with the International Telecommunication Union Recommendation BT.2020  standard. Measurements suggest predominant stability and color homogeneity compared to traditional red-emitting CsPbIxBr3- x nanocrystals. Finally, proof-of-concept pure-red emissive light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are demonstrated by integrating n = 4 CsPbI3 NPLs films with a blue LED chip, showing an excellent external quantum efficiency of 18.3% and high brightness exceeding 3 × 106 nits. Stringent requirements for future display technologies, are satisfied based on the high color purity, stability, and brightness of CsPbI3 NPLs.

Enhancing photoluminescence performance of perovskite quantum dots with plasmonic nanoparticles: insights into mechanisms and light-emitting applications

Perovskite quantum dots (QDs) are considered as promising materials for numerous optoelectronic applications due to their narrow emission spectra, high color purity, high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs), and cost-effectiveness. Herein, we synthesized various types of perovskite QDs and incorporated Au nanoparticles (NPs) to systematically investigate the impact of plasmonic effects on the photoluminescence performance of perovskite QDs. The PLQYs of the QDs are enhanced effectively upon the inclusion of Au NPs in the solutions, with an impressive PLQY approaching 99% achieved. The PL measurements reveal that the primary mechanism behind the PL improvement is the accelerated rate of radiative recombination. Furthermore, we integrate perovskite QDs and Au NPs, which function as color conversion layers, with blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), achieving a remarkable efficiency of 140.6 lm W-1. Additionally, we prepare photopatternable thin films of perovskite QDs using photocrosslinkable polymers as the matrix. Microscale patterning of the thin films is accomplished, indicating that the addition of plasmonic NPs does not adversely affect their photopatternable properties. Overall, our research not only elucidates the underlying mechanisms of plasmonic effects on perovskite QDs but presents a practical method for enhancing their optical performance, paving the way for next-generation optoelectronic applications, including high-definition micro-LED panels.

Fluorescence-Quenching Lateral Flow Immunoassay for "Turn-On" and Sensitive Detection of Anti-SARS-Cov-2 Neutralizing Antibodies in Human Serum

The titer of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) in the human body is an essential reference for evaluating the acquired protective immunity and resistance to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, a fluorescence-quenching lateral flow immunoassay (FQ-LFIA) is established for quantitative detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 NAbs in the sera of individuals who are vaccinated or infected within 10 min. The ultrabright aggregation-induced emission properties encapsulated in nanoparticles, AIE490 NP, are applied in the established FQ-LFIA with gold nanoparticles to achieve a fluorescence "turn-on" competitive immunoassay. Under optimized conditions, the FQ-LFIA quantitatively detected 103 positive and 50 negative human serum samples with a limit of detection (LoD) of 1.29 IU mL-1 . A strong correlation is present with the conventional pseudovirus-based virus neutralization test (R2  = 0.9796, P < 0.0001). In contrast, the traditional LFIA with a "turn-off" mode can only achieve a LoD of 11.06 IU mL-1 . The FQ-LFIA showed excellent sensitivity to anti-SARS-CoV-2 NAbs. The intra- and inter-assay precisions of the established method are below 15%. The established FQ-LFIA has promising potential as a rapid and quantitative method for detecting anti-SARS-CoV-2 NAbs. FQ-LFIA can also be used to detect various biomarkers.

Regulating the phase distribution of quasi-2D perovskites using a three-dimensional cyclic molecule toward improved light-emitting performance

In this study, a molecule with a three-dimensional (3D) cyclic structure, a cryptand, is demonstrated as an effective additive for the quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) PEA₂Cs_n-1Pb_nBr_3n+1 (n = 3, herein) to improve its light-emitting performance. The cryptand can effectively regulate the phase distribution of the quasi-2D perovskite through its intense interaction with PbBr₂, benefitting from its cage-like structure that can better capture the Pb²⁺ ions. Due to the inhibited growth of the low-n phases, a much-concentrated phase distribution is achieved for the cryptand-containing films. Moreover, its constituent O/N atoms can passivate the uncoordinated Pb²⁺ ions to improve the film quality. Such a synergistic effect thereby facilitates the charge/energy transfer among the multiple phases and reduces the non-radiative recombination. As a result, the quasi-2D perovskite light-emitting diode (PeLED) with the optimized cryptand doping ratio is shown to deliver the highest luminance (L_max) of 15 532 cd m^-2 with a highest external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 4.02%. Compared to the pristine device, L_max is enhanced by ∼5 times and EQE is enhanced by ∼10 times.

Investigation of highly luminescent inorganic perovskite nanocrystals synthesized using optimized ultrasonication method

All-inorganic halide perovskite nanocrystals are next-generation materials with excellent optical and semiconductor properties suitable for display applications. In this study, we introduce an optimized ultrasonication method for the high-capacity synthesis of highly luminescent inorganic perovskite nanocrystals. After the synthesis of CsPbBr₃ with superior optical performance by ultrasonication method, halide anion exchange was performed to tune the stable emission wavelength over the entire visible range. In particular, the maximum photoluminescence wavelengths of the red and green perovskite nanocrystals were appropriate for light-emitting diode applications, and their full-width-at-half-maximum were very narrow, showing outstanding color purity. The materials also had excellent thermal and photo-stability, which is a necessary requirement for perovskite nanocrystal/organic light-emitting diode hybrid device applications. We formulated uniformly stable perovskite nanocrystal inks and optimized their physical and rheological properties for successful inkjet-printing. Finally, we fabricated a hybrid device with a color conversion layer based on the red and green perovskite nanocrystals synthesized using the optimized ultrasonication and halide-ion-exchange methods. The color reproduction range of the fabricated devices was 27.3 % wider than that of the National Television System Committee values, indicating very vivid colors.

Ultrabright nanoparticle-labeled lateral flow immunoassay for detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in human serum

The level of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (NAb) is an indispensable reference for evaluating the acquired protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Here, we established an ultrabright nanoparticles-based lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for one-step rapid semi-quantitative detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 NAb in vaccinee's serum. Once embedded in polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles, the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogen, AIE₄₉₀, exhibited ultrabright fluorescence due to the rigidity of PS and severe inhibition of intramolecular motions. The ultrabright AIE₄₉₀-PS nanoparticle was used as a fluorescent marker of LFIA. Upon optimized conditions including incubation time, concentrations of coated proteins and conjugated nanoparticles, amounts of antigens modified on the surface of nanoparticles, dilution rate of serum samples, and so on, the ultrabright nanoparticles-based LFIA could accurately identify 70 negative samples and 63 positive samples from human serum (p < 0.0001). The intra- and inter-assay precisions of the established method are above 13% and 16%, respectively. The established LFIA has tremendous practical value of generalization as a rapid semi-quantitative detection method of anti-SARS-CoV-2 NAb. Meanwhile, the AIE₄₉₀-PS nanoparticle is also promising to detect many other analytes by altering the protein on the surface.