A hierarchical shell locks and stabilizes perovskite nanocrystals with near-unity quantum yield
Solid-state emitters have exhibited external quantum yields (EQYs) below 65%, with no system combining unity photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and commercially viable stability. These limitations are most pronounced in colloidal perovskite nanocrystals (PeNCs), given their soft ionic lattices and labile surfaces. We introduce a hierarchical shell (HS) structure comprising interbonded PbSO<sub>4</sub>-SiO<sub>2</sub>-polymer multilayers that simultaneously locks and stabilizes soft lattices and labile interfaces. HS-CsPbBr<sub>3</sub> PeNC films exhibit <i>T</i><sub>90</sub> (10% PLQY loss) = 3211 hours under accelerated 60°C, 90% relative humidity (RH) and <i>T</i><sub>90</sub> = 12,000 hours under blue-light exposure. HS strategy generalizes across PeNC compositions-including mixed-halide, mixed-cation, iodide, and hybrid PeNCs-and enables MAPbBr<sub>3</sub> with extended <i>T</i><sub>90</sub> = 3900 hours (60°C, 90% RH) and <i>T</i><sub>90</sub> = 27,234 hours (blue light). Moreover, HS-MAPbBr<sub>3</sub> films with 100.0% PLQY eliminate self-absorption losses and achieve an EQY of 91.4%, approaching the theoretical maximum. The HS barrier also prevents lead leakage for safety of large-area, high-resolution displays and bio-optoelectronics.
Authors
- Chan Beum Park (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0767-8629)
- Xian Wei Chua (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3015-6834)
- Jinseok Ryu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9558-3469)
- Qingsen Zeng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0877-0814)
- Kyung Yeon Jang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4911-3407)
- Hao Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3759-8352)
- Huanyu Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4274-5540)
- Jinhyeong Jang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6257-1229)
- Min-Jun Sung
- A. T. Walsh
- Jin Jung Kweon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1961-3424)
- Henk J. Bolink (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9784-6253)
- Yipeng Tang
- M. Joon Kim
- Woo Jin Jeong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4149-9701)
- S.K. Lee
- Michele Forzatti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8527-2280)
- Joo Sung Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7465-3085)
- Min Ju Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1446-4407)
- Yue Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7265-850X)
- S. M. Woo
- Hyun-Joon Shim
- Tae-Woo Lee
- Dong-Hyeok Kim
- Tianshu Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4694-7709)
- Seong-Yong Cho
- Linjie Dai
- Samuel D. Stranks
- Barney A. I. Lewis
- Eojin Yoon
- Eun A. Kim
- Sunghee Park
- Bin Hu
- Hyejin Lee
- Kyueun Lim
Institutions
- Seoul National University (KR)
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KR)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Parc Científic de la Universitat de València (ES)
- National University (SD)
- Hanyang University (KR)
- Imperial College London (GB)
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
- Anyang University (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2026-01-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ady1370
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Perovskite Materials and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 21.93