Amplified and Multicolor Emission from Films and Interfacial Layers of Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals

Lead halide perovskites are promising for energy harvesting and lighting applications. We show amplified emission from films of organic–inorganic or all-inorganic lead halide perovskite nanocrystals. Also, multicolor emission is detected from interfacial layers of chloride and bromide perovskites. While amplified emission originates from spatial confinement of manifold charge carriers in films, multicolor emission emanates from interfacial halogen-exchanged layers. In a film, the amplified emission is averaged over a large number of nanocrystals, which prevents us from detecting any spectral narrowing. Conversely, amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and spectral narrowing are detected from an isolated perovskite microcrystal. Interestingly, under low-intensity excitation, a perovskite nanocrystal film shows unusually delayed emission, which becomes extremely fast and spatially confined at higher intensities of excitation light. By precisely detecting photoluminescence from an irradiated area and outside, we reveal the migration as well as confinement of photogenerated charge carriers in the film. The migration of charge carriers is more efficient in a film of organic–inorganic perovskites than that in all-inorganic perovskites.