Hybrid methylammonium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals confined in gyroidal silica templates

Abstract

We successfully synthesized hybrid methylammonium lead halide nanocrystals confined in a gyroidal mesoporous silica template. The nanocrystals adopted the same crystal structure as their bulk perovskite counterparts, highlighting the ability to control the bandgap by tuning the pore-size of the template. Besides providing more accessible spaces for the materials to diffuse within the channels, the 3D mesh of the gyroidal template should also allow easier escape of the solvent and pinning of the particles at different points, thus promoting the formation of isolated nanoparticles over larger structures (e.g., nanowires, nanorods).