Mitigating surface structural disorder for high-performance near-infrared quantum dot light-emitting diodes

Perovskite quantum dots are promising for near-infrared light-emitting diodes, although they face serious challenges in limited operating device lifetime originating from the complex and disordered surface atomic states. Here, we design and use multifunctional zinc(II) 4-aminobenzenesulfonate to mitigate surface structural disorder in quantum dots, thereby achieving high-performance near-infrared light-emitting diodes. Such an additive, with four functional groups and ions (-NH 2 , -S–O, -S=O, and Zn 2+ ), and that shows double hydrogen–bonding effects, can strengthen surface atom termination and mitigate surface disorder, enabling an improved photoluminescence quantum yield of more than 90%. The as-fabricated light-emitting diodes demonstrated narrow electroluminescence spectra with a full width at half maximum of 42 nanometers at 789 nanometers, a maximum external quantum efficiency of 23.11% with negligible efficiency roll-off (as small as 3% at 100 milliamperes per square centimeter), a radiance of 155,851 milliwatts per steradian per square meter, and an operating lifetime of 2298 minutes at an initial radiance of 1,000 milliwatts per steradian per square meter (39,000 minutes for 190 milliwatts per steradian per square meter). This work represents a substantial improvement in radiance, efficiency roll-off, and operating stability compared with the best previously reported near-infrared perovskite quantum dot light-emitting diodes.