Date of Submission
Spring 2024
Academic Program
Chemistry and Biochemistry; Physics
Project Advisor 1
Matthew Greenberg
Project Advisor 2
Beate Liepert
Abstract/Artist's Statement
Lead halide perovskites are a promising light absorbing semiconductor material for next- generation solar cells. However, there are multiple issues with using these lead-based materials, including exposure during the manufacturing process, the risk of lead leaking from the panels and contaminating the area where they are placed, and the exposure risk during the decommissioning of panels. This project investigates lead-free perovskites which are energetically tuned to target significant wavelengths within the solar light spectrum. Three phases of CsxMnBry nanocrystals were explored in this work: a red emitting phase (CsMnBr3), a green emitting phase (Cs3MnBr5), and a blue emitting phase (Cs2MnBr4 · 2H2O) from a hot injection synthesis using Cs+ and Mn2+ oleates and TMSBr as the Br− source. Additionally, a red emitting phase of CsMnCl3 was synthesized using TMSCl as the Cl− source. Photophysical characterization of the colloidal nanocrystals including UV-Vis absorbance spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectroscopy was conducted. X-ray scattering measurements were performed to confirm the local structure of the 1D perovskite materials. These results show that multiple phases of stable CsxMnXy (X = Br, Cl) nanocrystals can be synthesized under mild conditions, and that phase engineering can then facilitate band gap tuning across the visible spectrum of light.
Open Access Agreement
On-Campus only
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Fraser, Alexandra, "Photon Food: Lead–Free Perovskites Enabling Sunlight to Fuel Physics and the Future" (2024). Senior Projects Spring 2024. 96.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2024/96
This work is protected by a Creative Commons license. Any use not permitted under that license is prohibited.
Bard Off-campus DownloadBard College faculty, staff, and students can login from off-campus by clicking on the Off-campus Download button and entering their Bard username and password.