Electron-Hole Binding Governs Carrier Transport in Halide Perovskite Nanocrystal Thin Films

Two-dimensional halide perovskite nanoplatelets (NPLs) have exceptional light-emitting properties, including wide spectral tunability, ultrafast radiative decays, high quantum yields (QY), and oriented emission. Due to the high binding energies of electron-hole pairs, excitons are generally considered the dominant species responsible for carrier transfer in NPL films. To realize efficient devices, it is imperative to understand how exciton transport progresses therein. We employ spatially and temporally resolved optical microscopy to map exciton diffusion in perovskite nanocrystal (NC) thin films between 15 °C and 55 °C. At room temperature (RT), we find the diffusion length to be inversely correlated to the thickness of the nanocrystals (NCs). With increasing temperatures, exciton diffusion declines for all NC films, but at different rates. This leads to specific temperature turnover points, at which thinner NPLs exhibit higher diffusion lengths. We attribute this anomalous diffusion behavior to the coexistence of excitons and free electron hole-pairs inside the individual NCs within our temperature range. The organic ligand shell surrounding the NCs prevents charge transfer. Accordingly, any time an electron-hole pair spends in the unbound state reduces the FRET-mediated inter-NC transfer rates and, consequently, the overall diffusion. These results clarify how exciton diffusion progresses in strongly confined halide perovskite NC films, emphasizing critical considerations for optoelectronic devices.