Mechanochemical synthesis of inorganic halide perovskites: evolution of phase-purity, morphology, and photoluminescence

Dry mechanochemical ball-milling of halide precursor salts is a promising route for the synthesis of high-purity halide perovskites in a fast and solvent-free manner. However, there is a lack of information on the process mechanisms, kinetics, and possible side-effects. Here, we investigated in detail the mechanochemical synthesis of fully-inorganic CsPbBr3 by ball-milling of stoichiometric CsBr and PbBr2. Detailed structural, morphological and optical analyses reveal several beneficial and detrimental effects of milling as a function of time. Three stages are identified during the process: (i) at short milling times (t < 5 min) different ternary compounds are formed, including stoichiometr…