Synthesis, Photoluminescence and Vibrational Properties of Aziridinium Lead Halide Perovskites

Three-dimensional lead halide perovskites are known for their excellent optoelectronic properties, making them suitable for photovoltaic and light-emitting applications. Here, we report for the first time the Raman spectra and photoluminescent (PL) properties of recently discovered three-dimensional aziridinium lead halide perovskites (AZPbX(3), X = Cl, Br, I), as well as assignment of vibrational modes. We also report diffuse reflection data, which revealed an extended absorption of light of AZPbX(3) compared to the MA and FA counterparts and are beneficial for solar cell application. We demonstrated that this behavior is correlated with the size of the organic cation, i.e., the energy band gap of the cubic lead halide perovskites decreases with the increasing size of the organic cation. All compounds show intense PL, which weakens on heating and shifts toward higher energies. This PL is red shifted compared to the FA and MA counterparts. An analysis of the PL data revealed the small exciton binding energy of AZPbX(3) compounds (29–56 meV). Overall, the properties of AZPbX(3) are very similar to those of the well-known MAPbX(3) and FAPbX(3) perovskites, indicating that the aziridinium analogues are also attractive materials for light-emitting and solar cell applications.