Solution combustion is an exciting phenomenon, which involves propagation of self-sustained exothermic reactions along an aqueous or sol–gel media. This process allows for the synthesis of a variety of nanoscale materials, including oxides, metals, alloys, and sulfides. This Review focuses on the analysis of new approaches and results in the field of solution combustion synthesis (SCS) obtained during recent years. Thermodynamics and kinetics of reactive solutions used in different chemical routes are considered, and the role of process parameters is discussed, emphasizing the chemical mechanisms that are responsible for rapid self-sustained combustion reactions. The basic principles for controlling the composition, structure, and nanostructure of SCS products, and routes to regulate the size and morphology of the nanoscale materials are also reviewed. Recently developed systems that lead to the formation of novel materials and unique structures (e.g., thin films and two-dimensional crystals) with unusual...

Solution Combustion Synthesis of Nanoscale Materials

Metal halide perovskites represent a flourishing area of research, driven by both their potential application in photo-voltaics and optoelectronics, and for the fundamental science underpinning their unique optoelectronic properties. The advent of colloidal methods for the synthesis of halide perovskite nanocrystals has brought to the attention inter-esting aspects of this new type of materials, above all their defect-tolerance. This review aims to provide an updated survey of this fast-moving field, with a main focus on their colloidal synthesis. We examine the chemistry and the ca-pability of different colloidal synthetic routes to control the shape, size and optical properties of the resulting nano-crystals. We also provide an up to date overview of their post-synthesis transformations, and summarize the various so-lution processes aimed at fabricating halide perovskite-based nanocomposites. We then review the fundamental optical properties of halide perovskite nanocrystals, by focusing on their linear optical properties, on the effects of quantum confinement and, then, on the current knowledge of their exciton binding energies. We also discuss the emergence of non-linear phenomena such as multiphoton absorption, biexcitons and carrier multiplication. At last, we provide an outlook in the field, with the most cogent open questions and possible future directions.

Metal Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Post-Synthesis Modifications and Their Optical Properties

Metal halide perovskites represent a flourishing area of research, which is driven by both their potential application in photovoltaics and optoelectronics and by the fundamental science behind their unique optoelectronic properties. The emergence of new colloidal methods for the synthesis of halide perovskite nanocrystals, as well as the interesting characteristics of this new type of material, has attracted the attention of many researchers. This review aims to provide an up-to-date survey of this fast-moving field and will mainly focus on the different colloidal synthesis approaches that have been developed. We will examine the chemistry and the capability of different colloidal synthetic routes with regard to controlling the shape, size, and optical properties of the resulting nanocrystals. We will also provide an up-to-date overview of their postsynthesis transformations, and summarize the various solution processes that are aimed at fabricating halide perovskite-based nanocomposites. Furthermore, we...

Metal Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Post-Synthesis Modifications, and Their Optical Properties.

Rechargeable sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), as the most promising alternative to commercial lithium-ion batteries, have received tremendous attention during the last decade. Among all the anode materials for SIBs, metal sulfides/selenides (MXs) have shown inspiring results because of their versatile material species and high theoretical capacity. They suffer from large volume expansion, however, which leads to bad cycling performance. Thus, methods such as carbon modification, nanosize design, electrolyte optimization, and cut-off voltage control are used to obtain enhanced performance. Here, recent progress on MXs is summarized in terms of arranging the crystal structure, synthesis methods, electrochemical performance, mechanisms, and kinetics. Challenges are presented and effective ways to solve the problems are proposed, and a perspective for future material design is also given. It is hoped that light is shed on the development of MXs to help finally find applications for next-generation rechargeable batteries.

Advances and Challenges in Metal Sulfides/Selenides for Next-Generation Rechargeable Sodium-Ion Batteries.

The recent success of organometallic halide perovskites (OHPs) in photovoltaic devices has triggered lots of corresponding research and many perovskite analogues have been developed to look for devices with comparable performance but better stability. Upon the preparation of all inorganic halide perovskite nanocrystals (IHP NCs), research activities have soared due to their better stability, ultrahigh photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY), and composition dependent luminescence covering the whole visible region with narrow line-width. They are expected to be promising materials for next generation lighting and display, and many other applications. Within two years, a lot of interesting results have been observed. Here, the synthesis of IHPs is reviewed, and their progresses in optoelectronic devices and optical applications, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photodetectors (PDs), solar cells (SCs), and lasing, is presented. Information and recent understanding of their crystal structures and morphology modulations are addressed. Finally, a brief outlook is given, highlighting the presently main problems and their possible solutions and future development directions.

All Inorganic Halide Perovskites Nanosystem: Synthesis, Structural Features, Optical Properties and Optoelectronic Applications.

Shape and phase evolution from CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocubes to tetragonal CsPb2Br5 nanosheets with an indirect bandgap

Inorganic perovskites with special semiconducting properties and structures have attracted great attention and are regarded as next generation candidates for optoelectronic devices. Herein, using a physical vapor deposition process with a controlled excess of PbBr2 , dual-phase all-inorganic perovskite composite CsPbBr3 -CsPb2 Br5 thin films are prepared as light-harvesting layers and incorporated in a photodetector (PD). The PD has a high responsivity and detectivity of 0.375 A W-1 and 1011 Jones, respectively, and a fast response time (from 10% to 90% of the maximum photocurrent) of ≈280 µs/640 µs. The device also shows an excellent stability in air for more than 65 d without encapsulation. Tetragonal CsPb2 Br5 provides satisfactory passivation to reduce the recombination of the charge carriers, and with its lower free energy, it enhances the stability of the inorganic perovskite devices. Remarkably, the same inorganic perovskite photodetector is also highly flexible and exhibits an exceptional bending performance (>1000 cycles). These results highlight the great potential of dual-phase inorganic perovskite films in the development of optoelectronic devices, especially for flexible device applications.

Dual-Phase CsPbBr3–CsPb2Br5 Perovskite Thin Films via Vapor Deposition for High-Performance Rigid and Flexible Photodetectors

Cesium lead halide quantum dots (QDs) have tunable photoluminescence that is capable of covering the entire visible spectrum and have high quantum yields, which make them a new fluorescent materials for various applications. Here, the synthesis of CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I, or mixed Cl/Br and Br/I) QDs by direct ion reactions in ether solvents is reported, and for the first time the synergetic effects of solvent polarity and reaction temperature on the nucleation and growth of QDs are demonstrated. The use of solvent with a low polarity enables controlled growth of QDs, which facilitates the synthesis of high-quality CsPbX3 QDs with broadly tunable luminescence, narrow emission width, and high quantum yield. A QD white LED (WLED) is demonstrated by coating the highly fluorescent green-emissive CsPbBr3 QDs together with red phosphors on a blue InGaN chip, which presents excellent warm white light emission with a high rendering index of 93.2 and color temperature of 5447 K, suggesting the potential applications of highly fluorescent cesium lead halide perovskite QDs as an alternative color converter in the fabrication of WLEDs.

Solvent‐Polarity‐Engineered Controllable Synthesis of Highly Fluorescent Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots and Their Use in White Light‐Emitting Diodes

Inorganic perovskite materials have great potential for application in optoelectronic devices, especially solar cells, due to their outstanding photoelectric properties and high stability. In this work, we demonstrated CsPbBr3 inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) composed of a derivative-phase CsPb2Br5 for the first time by precisely controlling the film thickness of precursor materials. The presence of CsPb2Br5 at the interface of CsPbBr3 crystals can increase the grain size of the inorganic perovskite and effectively passivate grain defects and the electron transport layer. The derivative phase will lower the energy barrier and reduce the carrier recombination in the active layer. Remarkably, this self-passivation results in a respectable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.34% with a CsBr : PbBr2 ratio of 1 : 1.1. Besides, the device exhibits a superior stability for more than 1000 h without any degradation. Insights into the derivative phase formation and self-passivation mechanisms are demonstrated, providing a novel approach to improve the performance of perovskite solar cells.

Guopeng Li

Papers

Shape and phase evolution from CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocubes to tetragonal CsPb2Br5 nanosheets with an indirect bandgap

Dual-Phase CsPbBr3–CsPb2Br5 Perovskite Thin Films via Vapor Deposition for High-Performance Rigid and Flexible Photodetectors

Solvent‐Polarity‐Engineered Controllable Synthesis of Highly Fluorescent Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots and Their Use in White Light‐Emitting Diodes

Interface engineering using a perovskite derivative phase for efficient and stable CsPbBr3 solar cells

Self-combustion synthesis of Na3V2(PO4)3 nanoparticles coated with carbon shell as cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries