Stabilizing dynamic perovskite nanocrystal surfaces: From bright emission to charge extraction

Abstract

Metal halide perovskite nanocrystals exhibit outstanding optoelectronic properties, but their stability and performance are fundamentally governed by surface chemistry. A defining feature of these materials is the highly dynamic nature of their surfaces, where weakly bound ligands and mobile ions lead to continuous reorganization. In my prior work, I focused on identifying the most strongly binding, better-matched ligand chemistries that suppress surface dynamics, reduce nonradiative recombination, and maximize photoluminescence quantum yields. These studies established clear connections between ligand structure, surface stabilization, and light-emission efficiency in perovskite nanocrystals. In this contribution, I will describe how these insights motivate a new research direction aimed at understanding and controlling charge extraction and injection at perovskite nanocrystal interfaces. Moving beyond light emission, we seek to determine how residual surface dynamics and trap states influence interfacial charge transfer processes, and whether slowing or selectively tuning these dynamics can enable more efficient and directional charge flow for applications.