Monodisperse Al-Doped ZnO/Perovskite Nanocapsule

We developed monodisperse ZnO nanocapsules and atmospheric N plasma was used to develop a ZnO-organic nanocomposite. To test the seal of the ZnO nanocapsule, the halide perovskite CH₃NH₃PbBr₃ was used as the filler. Al atoms were doped into ZnO nanorods to increase the conductivity of ZnO nanorods. A green emission peak located at 535 nm was observed in the nanocapsules with a 410 nm excitation because of the free-exciton recombination of CH₃NH₃PbBr₃. The Al-doped ZnO (AZO)/CH₃NH₃PbBr₃ nanocapsules was further tested under using a three-electrode photoelectrochemistry cell. AZO/CH₃NH₃PbBr₃ nanocapsule arrays yield an elevated photocurrent of approximately 0.2 mA/cm² at 1 V versus Ag/AgCl under air mass 1.5 (AM 1.5), almost 1.5 times larger than that of the AZO nanorod arrays. The photo-current stability of AZO/CH₃NH₃PbBr₃ nanocapsule arrays photoelectrode is better than that of AZO nanorod arrays under a repeated on/off light test. This confirmed that the AZO/CH₃NH₃PbBr₃ nanocapsules had been successfully sealed and that the degradation of CH₃NH₃PbNBr₃ was thus dramatically reduced. Our study yields a novel platform for nanoscale optical and optoelectronic devices or for delivery of highly toxic drugs.