Intense-Light Sensing Yarns Achieved by Interfused Inorganic Halide Perovskite Nanofiber Network

Abstract

Fully inorganic metal halide perovskites (MHPs) demonstrate enhanced stability over their organic–inorganic counterparts, however, their integrations into flexible or textile-based substrates remain a significant challenge, due to their inherent rigidity and the necessity of high-temperature annealing. Herein, we propose a one-step and near-room-temperature electrospinning process to fabricate flexible CsPbI₂Br nanofibers that can be directly deposited on the yarns. With the in-situ CsPbI₂Br crystallization during electrospinning, annealing-free and photoelectroactive γ-CsPbI₂Br can be achieved. Polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) serves as the carrier polymer to offer the flexibility and facilitate the chemical interaction with CsPbI₂Br, thereby mitigating moisture and oxygen-induced degradations. CsPbI₂Br-PVAc nanofibers obtained under the optimal electrospinning condition: high-electrospinning voltage (25 kV) and low-solution supply rate (0.02 mm/min), show more uniform morphology, increased stability, and extended photoluminescence decay time. These nanofibers enable the construction of photo-sensing yarn devices, capable of generating a photovoltage of around 180 mV and current density of 17 mA/cm² upon illumination by a 532 nm pulsed laser, while maintaining a remarkable ambient stability of 16 days. Given their laser-energy-dependent voltage output, these yarns hold significant potential for developing high-intensity light-detecting textiles for various applications.

Keywords

Electrospinning / Perovskite / CsPbI₂Br / Annealing-free / Photo sensing / e-textile

References

[1] Yin W-J, Yang J-H, Kang J, et al.. Halide perovskite materials for solar cells: a theoretical review. J Mater Chem A, 2015, 3: 8926-8942,

[2] Noh JH, Im SH, Heo JH, et al.. Chemical management for colorful, efficient, and stable inorganic-organic hybrid nanostructured solar cells. Nano Lett, 2013, 13: 1764-1769,

[3] Protesescu L, Yakunin S, Bodnarchuk MI, et al.. Nanocrystals of cesium lead halide perovskites (CsPbX 3, X = Cl, Br, and I): novel optoelectronic materials showing bright emission with wide color gamut. Nano Lett, 2015, 15: 3692-3696,

[4] De Wolf S, Holovsky J, Moon S-J, et al.. Organometallic halide perovskites: sharp optical absorption edge and its relation to photovoltaic performance. J Phys Chem Lett, 2014, 5: 1035-1039,

[5] Chen Z, Dong Q, Liu Y, et al.. Thin single crystal perovskite solar cells to harvest below-bandgap light absorption. Nat Commun, 2017, 8: 1890,

[6] Biewald A, Giesbrecht N, Bein T, et al.. Temperature-dependent ambipolar charge carrier mobility in large-crystal hybrid halide perovskite thin films. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2019, 11: 20838-20844,

[7] Motta C, El-Mellouhi F, Sanvito S. Charge carrier mobility in hybrid halide perovskites. Sci Rep, 2015, 5: 12746,

[8] Huang H, Bodnarchuk MI, Kershaw SV, et al.. Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals in the research spotlight: stability and defect tolerance. ACS Energy Lett, 2017, 2: 2071-2083,

[9] Zhang M, Yu H, Lyu M, et al.. Composition-dependent photoluminescence intensity and prolonged recombination lifetime of perovskite CH ₃ NH ₃ PbBr _3–x Cl _x films. Chem Commun, 2014, 50: 11727-11730,

[10] Zhang L, Li B, Yuan J, et al.. High-voltage-efficiency inorganic perovskite solar cells in a wide solution-processing window. J Phys Chem Lett, 2018, 9: 3646-3653,

[11] Liu D, Yang C, Bates M, et al.. Room Temperature Processing of Inorganic Perovskite Films to Enable Flexible Solar Cells. iScience, 2018, 6: 272-279,

[12] Tian J, Xue Q, Yao Q, et al.. Inorganic Halide Perovskite Solar Cells: Progress and Challenges. Adv Energy Mater, 2020, 10: 2000183,

[13] Chen W, Chen H, Xu G, et al.. Precise control of crystal growth for highly efficient CsPbI2Br perovskite solar cells. Joule, 2019, 3: 191-204,

[14] Wang H, Li S, Liu X, et al.. Low-dimensional metal halide perovskite photodetectors. Adv Mater, 2021, 33: 2003309,

[15] Kim H-J, Oh H, Kim T, et al.. Stretchable photodetectors based on electrospun polymer/perovskite composite nanofibers. ACS Appl Nano Mater, 2022, 5: 1308-1316,

[16] Van Le Q, Jang HW, Kim SY. Recent advances toward high-efficiency halide perovskite light-emitting diodes: review and perspective. Small Methods, 2018, 2: 1700419,

[17] Hassan Y, Park JH, Crawford ML, et al.. Ligand-engineered bandgap stability in mixed-halide perovskite LEDs. Nature, 2021, 591: 72-77,

[18] Zhang Q, Shang Q, Su R, et al.. Halide perovskite semiconductor lasers: materials, cavity design, and low threshold. Nano Lett, 2021, 21: 1903-1914,

[19] Zhu H, Fu Y, Meng F, et al.. Lead halide perovskite nanowire lasers with low lasing thresholds and high quality factors. Nat Mater, 2015, 14: 636-642,

[20] Weng W, Chen P, He S, et al.. Smart electronic textiles. Angew Chem Int Ed, 2016, 55: 6140-6169,

[21] Dong B, Hu J, Xiao X, et al.. High-efficiency fiber-shaped perovskite solar cell by vapor-assisted deposition with a record efficiency of 10.79%. Adv Mater Technol, 2019, 4: 1900131,

[22] Qiu L, He S, Yang J, et al.. Fiber-shaped perovskite solar cells with high power conversion efficiency. Small, 2016, 12: 2419-2424,

[23] Hu H, Yan K, Peng M, et al.. Fiber-shaped perovskite solar cells with 5.3% efficiency. J Mater Chem A, 2016, 4: 3901-3906,

[24] Qiu L, Deng J, Lu X, et al.. Integrating perovskite solar cells into a flexible fiber. Angew Chem Int Ed, 2014, 53: 10425-10428,

[25] Xu L, Fu X, Liu F, et al.. A perovskite solar cell textile that works at −40 to 160 °C. J Mater Chem A, 2020, 8: 5476-5483,

[26] Hussain I, Chowdhury AR, Jaksik J, et al.. Conductive glass free carbon nanotube micro yarn based perovskite solar cells. Appl Surf Sci, 2019, 478: 327-333,

[27] Hu H, Dong B, Chen B, et al.. High performance fiber-shaped perovskite solar cells based on lead acetate precursor. Sustain Energy Fuels, 2018, 2: 79-84,

[28] Liang S, Zhang M, Biesold GM, et al.. Recent advances in synthesis, properties, and applications of metal halide perovskite nanocrystals/polymer nanocomposites. Adv Mater, 2021, 33: 2005888,

[29] Huang Z, Hu X, Liu C, et al.. Nucleation and crystallization control via polyurethane to enhance the bendability of perovskite solar cells with excellent device performance. Adv Funct Mater, 2017, 27: 1703061,

[30] Wei J, Wang X, Sun X, et al.. Polymer assisted deposition of high-quality CsPbI2Br film with enhanced film thickness and stability. Nano Res, 2020, 13: 684-690,

[31] Wu S, Zabihi F, Yeap RY, et al. Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Decorated Polyvinylidene Fluoride Nanofibers for Wearable Piezoelectric Nanogenerator Yarns. ACS Nano. 2023; acsnano.2c07320.

[32] Zhi C, Shi S, Meng S, et al.. A biocompatible and antibacterial all-textile structured triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered tactile sensing. Nano Energy, 2023, 115,

[33] Li Q, Balilonda A, Ali A, et al.. Flexible solar yarns with 15.7% power conversion efficiency, based on electrospun perovskite composite nanofibers. Sol RRL., 2020, 4: 2000269,

[34] Balilonda A, Li Q, Bian X, et al.. Lead-free and electron transport layer-free perovskite yarns: Designed for knitted solar fabrics. Chem Eng J, 2021, 410,

[35] Boyd CC, Cheacharoen R, Leijtens T, et al.. Understanding degradation mechanisms and improving stability of perovskite photovoltaics. Chem Rev, 2019, 119: 3418-3451,

[36] Kulbak M, Gupta S, Kedem N, et al.. Cesium enhances long-term stability of lead bromide perovskite-based solar cells. J Phys Chem Lett, 2016, 7: 167-172,

[37] Ma Q, Huang S, Wen X, et al.. Hole transport layer free inorganic CsPbIBr ₂ perovskite solar cell by dual source thermal evaporation. Adv Energy Mater, 2016, 6: 1502202,

[38] Nam JK, Jung MS, Chai SU, et al.. Unveiling the crystal formation of cesium lead mixed-halide perovskites for efficient and stable solar cells. J Phys Chem Lett, 2017, 8: 2936-2940,

[39] Jiang H, Feng J, Zhao H, et al.. Low temperature fabrication for high performance flexible CsPbI ₂ Br perovskite solar cells. Adv Sci, 2018, 5: 1801117,

[40] Ercan E, Liu C, Chen W. Nano-micro dimensional structures of fiber-shaped luminous halide perovskite composites for photonic and optoelectronic applications. Macromol Rapid Commun, 2020, 41: 2000157,

[41] Liao H, Guo S, Cao S, et al.. A General strategy for in situ growth of all-inorganic CsPbX ₃ (X = Br, I, and Cl) perovskite nanocrystals in polymer fibers toward significantly enhanced water/thermal stabilities. Adv Opt Mater, 2018, 6: 1800346,

[42] Hai J, Li H, Zhao Y, et al.. Designing of blue, green, and red CsPbX ₃ perovskite-codoped flexible films with water resistant property and elimination of anion-exchange for tunable white light emission. Chem Commun, 2017, 53: 5400-5403,

[43] Tsai P-C, Chen J-Y, Ercan E, et al.. Uniform luminous perovskite nanofibers with color-tunability and improved stability prepared by one-step core/shell electrospinning. Small, 2018, 14: 1704379,

[44] Lin CC, Jiang D-H, Kuo C-C, et al.. Water-resistant efficient stretchable perovskite-embedded fiber membranes for light-emitting diodes. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2018, 10: 2210-2215,

[45] Jiang D-H, Tsai Y-H, Veeramuthu L, et al.. Novel ultra-stable and highly luminescent white light-emitting diodes from perovskite quantum dots—Polymer nanofibers through biaxial electrospinning. APL Mater, 2019, 7,

[46] Kaushal H, Kaddoum G. Applications of lasers for tactical military operations. IEEE Access, 2017, 5: 20736-20753,

[47] Steiner R. New laser technology and future applications. Med Laser Appl, 2006, 21: 131-140,

[48] Vogel A, Venugopalan V. Mechanisms of pulsed laser ablation of biological tissues. Chem Rev, 2003, 103: 577-644,

[49] Ma H, Luo Y, He Y, et al.. The short-range, high-accuracy compact pulsed laser ranging system. Sensors, 2022, 22: 2146,

[50] Ding Y, He B, Zhu J, et al.. Advanced modification of perovskite surfaces for defect passivation and efficient charge extraction in air-stable CsPbBr ₃ perovskite solar cells. ACS Sustain Chem Eng, 2019, 7: 19286-19294,

[51] Ko FK, Wan Y. . Introduction to nanofiber materials, 2014 Cambridge Cambridge University Press,

[52] Shi S, Zhi C, Zhang S, et al.. Lotus leaf-inspired breathable membrane with structured microbeads and nanofibers. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2022, 14: 39610-39621,

[53] Gu SY, Ren J, Vancso GJ. Process optimization and empirical modeling for electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber precursor of carbon nanofibers. Eur Polym J, 2005, 41: 2559-2568,

[54] Zong X, Kim K, Fang D, et al.. Structure and process relationship of electrospun bioabsorbable nanofiber membranes. Polymer, 2002, 43: 4403-4412,

[55] Massah M, Khamehchi E, Mousavi-Dehghani SA, et al.. A new theory for modeling transport and deposition of solid particles in oil and gas wells and pipelines. Int J Heat Mass Transf, 2020, 152,

[56] Bkkar M, Olekhnovich R, Kremleva A, et al.. Influence of electrospinning setup parameters on properties of polymer-perovskite nanofibers. Polymers, 2023, 15: 731,

[57] Oh H, Kang G, Park M. Polymer-mediated In Situ growth of perovskite nanocrystals in electrospinning: design of composite nanofiber-based highly efficient luminescent solar concentrators. ACS Appl Energy Mater, 2022, 5: 15844-15855,

[58] Chen L, Wu W, Wang J, et al.. Lanthanide stabilized all-inorganic CsPbI ₂ Br perovskite solar cells with superior thermal resistance. ACS Appl Energy Mater, 2021, 4: 3937-3944,

[59] Sutton RJ, Filip MR, Haghighirad AA, et al.. Cubic or orthorhombic? Revealing the crystal structure of metastable black-phase CsPbI ₃ by theory and experiment. ACS Energy Lett, 2018, 3: 1787-1794,

[60] Weidenthaler C. Pitfalls in the characterization of nanoporous and nanosized materials. Nanoscale, 2011, 3: 792,

[61] Han T-H, Lee J-W, Choi C, et al.. Perovskite-polymer composite cross-linker approach for highly-stable and efficient perovskite solar cells. Nat Commun, 2019, 10: 520,

[62] Cai F, Yan Y, Yao J, et al.. Ionic additive engineering toward high-efficiency perovskite solar cells with reduced grain boundaries and trap density. Adv Funct Mater, 2018, 28: 1801985,

[63] Zhu L, Zhang X, Li M, et al.. Trap state passivation by rational ligand molecule engineering toward efficient and stable perovskite solar cells exceeding 23% efficiency. Adv Energy Mater, 2021, 11: 2100529,

[64] Zuo L, Guo H, deQuilettes DW, et al.. Polymer-modified halide perovskite films for efficient and stable planar heterojunction solar cells. Sci Adv, 2017, 3,

[65] Peng H, Cai M, Zhou J, et al.. Structurally reinforced all-inorganic CsPbI ₂ Br perovskite by nonionic polymer via coordination and hydrogen bonds. Sol RRL, 2020, 4: 2000216,

[66] Park J, Murali G, Kwon B, et al.. Mussel-inspired polymer grafting on CsPbBr ₃ perovskite quantum dots enhancing the environmental stability. Part Part Syst Charact, 2019, 36: 1900332,

[67] Zeng Z, Zhang J, Gan X, et al.. In situ grain boundary functionalization for stable and efficient inorganic CsPbI ₂ Br perovskite solar cells. Adv Energy Mater, 2018, 8: 1801050,

[68] Jiao Y, Yi S, Wang H, et al.. Strain engineering of metal halide perovskites on coupling anisotropic behaviors. Adv Funct Mater, 2021, 31: 2006243,

[69] Long Y, Liu K, Zhang Y, et al.. Ambient air temperature assisted crystallization for inorganic CsPbI2Br perovskite solar cells. Molecules, 2021, 26: 3398,

[70] Yuan B, Li C, Yi W, et al.. PMMA passivated CsPbI2Br perovskite film for highly efficient and stable solar cells. J Phys Chem Solids, 2021, 153,

[71] Guo Z, Jena AK, Takei I, et al. V _OC Over 1.4 V for amorphous tin-oxide-based dopant-free CsPbI₂ Br perovskite solar cells. J Am Chem Soc. 2020; 142: jacs.0c02227.

[72] Mariotti S, Hutter OS, Phillips LJ, et al.. Stability and performance of CsPbI ₂ Br thin films and solar cell devices. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2018, 10: 3750-3760,

[73] Fan Y, Fang J, Chang X, et al.. Scalable ambient fabrication of high-performance CsPbI2Br solar cells. Joule, 2019, 3: 2485-2502,

[74] Bai D, Bian H, Jin Z, et al.. Temperature-assisted crystallization for inorganic CsPbI2Br perovskite solar cells to attain high stabilized efficiency 14.81%. Nano Energy, 2018, 52: 408-415,

[75] Chen J, Zhang C, Liu X, et al.. Carrier dynamic process in all-inorganic halide perovskites explored by photoluminescence spectra. Photonics Res, 2021, 9: 151,

[76] Shi S, Wu H, Zhi C, et al.. A skin-like nanostructured membrane for advanced wound dressing. Compos Part B Eng, 2023, 250,

Funding

Texavie Technologies Inc.; Mitacs(IT26250); Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; Alberta Innovates and Clean Resource Innovation Network