Influence of Eu-substitution on luminescent CH3NH3PbBr3 quantum dots

Abstract

We report a series of Eu-substituted methylammonium lead tribromide quantum dots (MAPb_1−xEu_xBr₃ QDs). The crystallinity of these QDs increases with increasing Eu content, while there is only a small change in the lattice constant, and the morphology of the MAPb_1−xEu_xBr₃ QDs is unaffected by the Eu content. This demonstrates that Eu is a suitable element for substituting Pb while retaining the original crystal structure. We observe blue photoluminescence (PL) consistent with Eu²⁺, which, at high Eu content (x = 0.3), contributes luminescence intensity equal to the green PL of unsubstituted MAPbBr₃ QDs. As Eu is a less toxic substitute for Pb, that also provides blue luminescence, MAPb_1−xEu_xBr₃ QDs may prove to be a valuable optoelectronic material.