Photon‐Resilient CsPbBr 3 Nanocrystals Achieved Through Cation‐Ligand Synergistic Surface Engineering for Cocatalyst‐Free High‐Performance CO 2 Photoreduction

ABSTRACT Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) combine strong light harvesting with favorable excited‐state properties for solar‐fuel synthesis, yet their application in CO 2 photoreduction is limited by rapid photoinduced surface degradation. Here, we overcome this limitation through cooperative cation‐ligand engineering of CsPbBr 3 PNCs by integrating surface‐associated Zn 2 + with short‐chain isophthalic acid (IPhA). This dual surface coordination reinforces halide bonding, stabilizes undercoordinated Pb sites, suppresses defect propagation, prolongs carrier lifetime, increases carrier density, and reduces charge‐transfer resistance. Mechanistic investigations, including operando Raman spectroscopy and CO‐stripping voltammetry, reveal sustained surface‐bound intermediates and favorable CO adsorption–desorption behavior during CO 2 reduction. Consequently, the Zn‐IPhA engineered PNCs sustain continuous CO and CH 4 evolution for 10 h under simulated solar irradiation and retain high activity over three consecutive 10 h cycles with only marginal performance loss. The engineered PNCs deliver cocatalyst‐free CO evolution rates of ∼55 and ∼64 µmol g −1 h −1 together with CH 4 evolution rates of ∼20 and ∼26 µmol g −1 h −1 under white‐light (1 Sun) and UV irradiation, respectively, representing the highest reported productivities among 3D PNC photocatalysts and surpassing many cocatalyst‐integrated systems. These findings establish cooperative surface coordination engineering as a general strategy for developing photon‐resilient perovskite photocatalysts for solar‐fuel generation.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Small
Published
2026-08-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.75448
Primary Topic
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Photon‐Resilient CsPbBr 3 Nanocrystals Achieved Through Cation‐Ligand Synergistic Surface Engineering for Cocatalyst‐Free High‐Performance CO 2 Photoreduction

Yatendra S. Chaudhary, Saumyakanti Khatua, Subarna Biswas, Rajashree P. Mishra et al.
Small
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
article

Photon‐Resilient CsPbBr 3 Nanocrystals Achieved Through Cation‐Ligand Synergistic Surface Engineering for Cocatalyst‐Free High‐Performance CO 2 Photoreduction

Yatendra S. Chaudhary, Saumyakanti Khatua, Subarna Biswas, Rajashree P. Mishra, N. V. S. Praneeth, Tirthankar Saha, Nimai Mishra, Naiwrit Karmodak, Shagun Singh, Samhita Sukanya, Surajit Mondal, Jit Satra, Nitish Kumar
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) combine strong light harvesting with favorable excited‐state properties for solar‐fuel synthesis, yet their application in CO 2 photoreduction is limited by rapid photoinduced surface degradation. Here, we overcome this limitation through cooperative cation‐ligand engineering of CsPbBr 3 PNCs by integrating surface‐associated Zn 2 + with short‐chain isophthalic acid (IPhA). This dual surface coordination reinforces halide bonding, stabilizes undercoordinated Pb sites, suppresses defect propagation, prolongs carrier lifetime, increases carrier density, and reduces charge‐transfer resistance. Mechanistic investigations, including operando Raman spectroscopy and CO‐stripping voltammetry, reveal sustained surface‐bound intermediates and favorable CO adsorption–desorption behavior during CO 2 reduction. Consequently, the Zn‐IPhA engineered PNCs sustain continuous CO and CH 4 evolution for 10 h under simulated solar irradiation and retain high activity over three consecutive 10 h cycles with only marginal performance loss. The engineered PNCs deliver cocatalyst‐free CO evolution rates of ∼55 and ∼64 µmol g −1 h −1 together with CH 4 evolution rates of ∼20 and ∼26 µmol g −1 h −1 under white‐light (1 Sun) and UV irradiation, respectively, representing the highest reported productivities among 3D PNC photocatalysts and surpassing many cocatalyst‐integrated systems. These findings establish cooperative surface coordination engineering as a general strategy for developing photon‐resilient perovskite photocatalysts for solar‐fuel generation.

Small
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HK), Shiv Nadar University (IN), Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IN), Institute of Physics, Bhubaneshwar (IN), Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IN), University of Hong Kong (HK), Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (IN)
Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Science and Engineering Research Board
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 27%
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.