Long-range order enabled stability in quantum dot light-emitting diodes

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on perovskite quantum dots (QDs) have produced external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of more than 25% with narrowband emission1,2, but these LEDs have limited operating lifetimes. We posit that poor long-range ordering in perovskite QD films—variations in dot size, surface ligand density and dot-to-dot stacking—inhibits carrier injection, resulting in inferior operating stability because of the large bias required to produce emission in these LEDs. Here we report a chemical treatment to improve the long-range order of perovskite QD films: the diffraction intensity from the repeating QD units increases three-fold compared with that of controls. We achieve this using a synergistic dual-ligand approach: an iodide-rich agent (aniline hydroiodide) for anion exchange and a chemically reactive agent (bromotrimethylsilane) that produces a strong acid that in situ dissolves smaller QDs to regulate size and more effectively removes less conductive ligands to enable compact, uniform and defect-free films. These films exhibit high conductivity (4 × 10−4 S m−1), which is 2.5-fold higher than that of the control, and represents the highest conductivity recorded so far among perovskite QDs. The high conductivity ensures efficient charge transportation, enabling red perovskite QD-LEDs that generate a luminance of 1,000 cd m−2 at a record-low voltage of 2.8 V. The EQE at this luminance is more than 20%. Furthermore, the stability of the operating device is 100 times better than previous red perovskite LEDs at EQEs of more than 20%.