Lead Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots for Photovoltaics and Photocatalysis: A Review

Abstract

Lead halide-based perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) have recently emerged as an important class of nanocrystal (NC) materials for optoelectronic and photoelectrochemical applications. Thanks to their intriguing features including tunable band gap, narrow emission, high charge carrier mobility, remarkable light-absorbing factors, and long charge diffusion length, there has been a surge in research on lead halide-based PQDs and their applications. In this review, we showcase the fundamentals of PQDs and two principal applications including PQD solar cells (PQDSCs) and photocatalytic conversion. First, a thorough discussion on PQDSCs, their structure, surface treatment, and interface engineering along with their recent progress are presented. It is highlighted that the improvement of the efficiency of PQDSCs from below 10% to beyond 16% in a matter of a few years has turned them into promising candidates for future SC applications. Subsequently, the application of PQDs in photocatalytic reactions such as hydrogen production, CO2 reduction, and organic compounds’ degradation is summarized. Not to mention that, despite the remarkable properties of PQDs in SCs and photocatalysis, the inferior stability of PV devices based thereon under operation as well as their poor tolerance under air, water, light, and heat impede their widespread application. For this, the practical efforts and possible solutions are extensively addressed. Finally, an outlook is provided, addressing further merits, and demerits of each application as well as prospective opportunities.