Degradation of Two-Dimensional CH₃NH₃PbI₃ Perovskite and CH₃NH₃PbI₃/Graphene Heterostructure

Hybrid organic–inorganic metal halide perovskites have been considered as promising materials for boosting the performance of photovoltaics and optoelectronics. Reduced-dimensional condiments and tunable properties render two-dimensional (2D) perovskite as novel building blocks for constructing micro-/nanoscale devices in high-performance optoelectronic applications. However, the stability is still one major obstacle for long-term practical use. Herein, we provide microscale insights into the degradation kinetics of 2D CH₃NH₃PbI₃ (MAPbI₃) perovskite and CH₃NH₃PbI₃/graphene heterostructures. It is found that the degradation is mainly caused by cation evaporation, which consequently affects the microstructure, light–matter interaction, and the photoluminescence quantum yield efficiency of the 2D perovskite. Interestingly, the encapsulation of perovskite by monolayer graphene can largely preserve the structure of the perovskite nanosheet and maintain reasonable optical properties upon exposure to high temperature and humidity. The heterostructure consisting of perovskite and another 2D impermeable material affords new possibilities to construct high-performance and stable perovskite-based optoelectronic devices

Infrared Nanoimaging Reveals the Surface Metallic Plasmons in Topological Insulator

Surface plasmons make a high degree of localization of electromagnetic fields achievable at the vicinity of metal surfaces. Topological insulators (TIs) are a family of materials which are insulating in the bulk but have metallic surfaces caused by the strong spin–orbit coupling. Surface plasmons supported by the surface state on topological insulators have attracted incredible interests from ultraviolet to mid-infrared frequencies. In this work, we experimentally investigate the near-field properties of Bi₂Te₃ nanosheets using scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM). The s-SNOM tip enables to detect significantly enhanced intensity in its near field at precisely controlled positions with regards to Bi₂Te₃ structure. With the help of highly position-selective excitation and high-pixel real-space mapping, we discover near-field patterns of bright outside fringes which are associated with its surface-metallic, plasmonic behavior at mid-infrared frequency. Thereby, we experimentally demonstrate that the scattered signal responses and near-field amplitudes of outside fringes can be tailored via mechanical (sheet thickness of Bi₂Te₃), electric (electrostatic gating), and optical (incident wavelength) fashions. The discovery of outside fringes in TI nanosheets may enable the development of strongly enhanced light–matter interactions for quantum optical devices, mid-infrared (MIR) and terahertz detectors or sensors