# Functionalized SBA-15 as a protective template for CsPbBr3 perovskite quantum dots

## TL;DR

Researchers embedded CsPbBr3 quantum dots into a modified silica matrix to improve their thermal stability for optoelectronic applications.

## Contribution

A new method to stabilize perovskite quantum dots using functionalized SBA-15 silica matrices is introduced.

## Key findings

- CPB QDs retained their optical properties when embedded in functionalized SBA-15.
- SO3H-functionalized SBA-15 showed the highest stability improvement due to strong ligand interactions.
- QD loading within the SBA-15 pores was uniform, with a size of approximately 17 nm.

## Abstract

All-metal halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs), such as CsPbBr3 (CPB), exhibit outstanding optoelectronic properties, but their poor thermal stability limits practical applications. In this work, CPB QDs were embedded into mesoporous SBA-15 silica matrices functionalized with amino (NH2) and sulfonic acid (SO3H) groups to enhance stability. The SBA-15 host, synthesized hydrothermally and post-functionalized, offers high thermal and chemical resilience. CPB QDs prepared via hot-injection retained their optical features upon incorporation, with consistent photoluminescence and absorption spectra. Structural analysis confirmed uniform QD loading (∼17 nm) within the pores. Among all supports, SO3H-functionalized SBA-15 provided the greatest stability improvement, attributed to strong interactions with surface ligands. This approach presents a viable pathway for stabilizing perovskite QDs in optoelectronic applications.

Schematic representation showing the weak and strong interaction of CPB with SBA-15 NH2 and SBA-15 SO3H respectively.