Issue

Vol. 18 (2026)

Controlled Epitaxial Growth of Perovskite Single-Crystal Heterojunction Arrays for Self-Powered Imaging

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02224-6
Hui Lu
CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Beijing Key Laboratory of Micro‑Nano Energy and Sensor, Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, People’s Republic of China
Yang Yu
CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Beijing Key Laboratory of Micro‑Nano Energy and Sensor, Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, People’s Republic of China
Wenqiang Wu
Beijing Key Laboratory for Atomic Manufacturing Equipment and Intelligent Sensing, Institute of Atomic Manufacturing, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
Zeping He
CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Beijing Key Laboratory of Micro‑Nano Energy and Sensor, Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, People’s Republic of China
Kaiyu Hu
Beijing Key Laboratory for Atomic Manufacturing Equipment and Intelligent Sensing, Institute of Atomic Manufacturing, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
Wenqiang Yang
Beijing Key Laboratory for Atomic Manufacturing Equipment and Intelligent Sensing, Institute of Atomic Manufacturing, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
Xun Han
Beijing Key Laboratory for Atomic Manufacturing Equipment and Intelligent Sensing, Institute of Atomic Manufacturing, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
Caofeng Pan
CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Beijing Key Laboratory of Micro‑Nano Energy and Sensor, Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Caofeng Pan

pancaofeng@buaa.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 391

Abstract

Perovskite single-crystal heterojunction arrays exhibit significant application potential in advanced optoelectronics, however, achieving comprehensive control over crystallographic and spatial properties of the array remains challenging. Here, we report a selective epitaxial growth strategy for fabricating single-crystal MAPbCl3/MAPbBr3 and MAPbBr3/MAPbI3 heterojunction arrays. This method employs patterned polymer templates to define the pixel dimension and arrangement, while the underlying single-crystal substrate guides the crystal orientation of the heterojunction array, enabling precise control over the pixel size, pixel arrangement angle and crystal plane. The self-powered photodetector arrays were fabricated based on these heterojunctions, showing a specific detectivity of 6.0 × 1011 Jones, a weak-light detection limit of 9 nW cm−2 and long-term operation stability under zero bias. Furthermore, the light pattern with different illumination intensities could be clearly imaged by the device array in the self-powered mode. This work establishes a robust method of fabricating the single-crystal heterojunction arrays for advanced optoelectronic applications.


Highlights:
1 A versatile selective epitaxial growth strategy was developed for fabricating perovskite single-crystal heterojunction arrays, enabling precise control over pixel size, arrangement angle, and crystal orientation.
2 The self-powered photodetector arrays based on the single-crystal heterojunction exhibited high sensitivity with a weak-light detection limit of 9 nW cm−2, long-term operational stability, and clear imaging capability under zero bias.

Keywords

Perovskite single crystals Heterojunction arrays Selective epitaxial growth Orientation control Self-powered imaging
Lu, Hui, Yang Yu, Wenqiang Wu, Zeping He, Kaiyu Hu, Wenqiang Yang, Xun Han, and Caofeng Pan. 2026. “Controlled Epitaxial Growth of Perovskite Single-Crystal Heterojunction Arrays for Self-Powered Imaging”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (May):391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02224-6.
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX
References
  1. L. Zhang, M. Zhang, H. Wang, Z. Li, Z. Zhang et al., Diverse perovskite solar cells: progress, challenges, and perspectives. Adv. Mater. 38(1), e12221 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202512221
  2. S. Jia, C. Gu, X. Zhou, Y. Miao, Y. Tian et al., Self-assembled monolayers for high-performance perovskite solar cells. Adv. Funct. Mater. 36(12), e12747 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202512747
  3. S.A. Ali Shah, M.H. Sayyad, Z. Guo, Light-emitting perovskite solar cells: genesis to recent drifts. Solar RRL 8(23), 2400652 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1002/solr.202400652
  4. Y.-H. Lin, Vikram, F. Yang, X.-L. Cao, A. Dasgupta et al., Bandgap-universal passivation enables stable perovskite solar cells with low photovoltage loss. Science 384(6697), 767–775 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ado2302
  5. D. Gao, B. Li, Q. Liu, C. Zhang, Z. Yu et al., Long-term stability in perovskite solar cells through atomic layer deposition of tin oxide. Sci 386(6718), 187–192 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adq8385
  6. Q. Zhou, G. Huang, J. Wang, T. Miao, R. Chen et al., Aromatic interaction-driven out-of-plane orientation for inverted perovskite solar cells with improved efficiency. Nat. Energy 10(11), 1371–1381 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01882-x
  7. Y. Li, X. Guan, Y. Zhao, Q. Zhang, X. Chen et al., Modulation of charge transport layer for perovskite light-emitting diodes. Adv. Mater. 37(25), 2410535 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202410535
  8. H. Liu, G. Shi, C. Peng, W. Chen, H. Yao et al., Advances and challenges in large-area perovskite light-emitting diodes. Adv. Mater. 37(25), e2410154 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202410154
  9. Y. Deng, J. Liu, W. Liu, Y. Zhang, H. Gao et al., Buried interface modification for high-performance perovskite light-emitting diodes. Adv. Opt. Mater. 13(26), e00894 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202500894
  10. S. Zheng, Z. Wang, N. Jiang, H. Huang, X. Wu et al., Ultralow voltage–driven efficient and stable perovskite light-emitting diodes. Sci. Adv. 10(36), eadp8473 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adp8473
  11. Q. Zhang, K. Yang, C. Luo, Z. Lin, W. Chen et al., Nanosecond response perovskite quantum dot light-emitting diodes with ultra-high resolution for active display application. Light Sci. Appl. 14(1), 285 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01959-y
  12. Y. Sun, L. Ge, L. Dai, C. Cho, J. Ferrer Orri et al., Bright and stable perovskite light-emitting diodes in the near-infrared range. Nat. 615(7954), 830–835 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-05792-4
  13. Z. Xu, X. Han, W. Wu, F. Li, R. Wang et al., Controlled on-chip fabrication of large-scale perovskite single crystal arrays for high-performance laser and photodetector integration. Light Sci. Appl. 12(1), 67 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-023-01107-4
  14. J. Meng, Q. Li, J. Huang, C. Pan, Z. Li, Self-powered photodetector for ultralow power density UV sensing. Nano Today 43, 101399 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nantod.2022.101399
  15. W. Wu, H. Lu, X. Han, C. Wang, Z. Xu et al., Recent progress on wavelength-selective perovskite photodetectors for image sensing. Small Methods 7(4), e2201499 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202201499
  16. W. Wang, W. Tian, F. Chen, J. Wang, W. Zhai et al., Filter-less color-selective photodetector derived from integration of parallel perovskite photoelectric response units. Adv. Mater. 36(33), 2404968 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202404968
  17. Z. Zhu, H. Chen, W. Huang, B. Zhao, S. Gao et al., Ion leakage current control for polycrystalline metal halide perovskite direct X-ray detectors. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 16(39), 53177–53185 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c10707
  18. L. Min, H. Sun, L. Guo, M. Wang, F. Cao et al., Frequency-selective perovskite photodetector for anti-interference optical communications. Nat. Commun. 15(1), 2066 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46468-5
  19. X. Han, J. Tao, Y. Liang, F. Guo, Z. Xu et al., Ultraweak light-modulated heterostructure with bidirectional photoresponse for static and dynamic image perception. Nat. Commun. 15(1), 10430 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54845-3
  20. Z. He, B. Sun, H. Lu, X. Sun, Z. Xu et al., Focus-tunable real-time imaging system based on ultrathin perovskite curved image sensor with hierarchical mesh design. Sci. Adv. 11(36), eadw7826 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adw7826
  21. T.M.H. Nguyen, S.G. Shin, H.W. Choi, C.W. Bark, Recent advances in self-powered and flexible UVC photodetectors. Explor. 2(5), 20210078 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1002/EXP.20210078
  22. X. Cao, S. Xing, R. Lai, Y. Lian, Y. Wang et al., Low-threshold, external-cavity-free flexible perovskite lasers. Adv. Funct. Mater. 33(19), 2211841 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202211841
  23. J. Moon, Y. Mehta, K. Gundogdu, F. So, Q. Gu, Metal-halide perovskite lasers: cavity formation and emission characteristics. Adv. Mater. 36(20), 2211284 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202211284
  24. Y. Li, S. Liu, T. Feeney, J. Roger, M. Gholipoor et al., Electrically-switchable gain in optically pumped CsPbBr3 lasers with low threshold at nanosecond pumping. Small 21(13), 2411935 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202411935
  25. C. Zou, X. Cao, Z. Wang, Y. Yang, Y. Lian et al., Continuous-wave perovskite polariton lasers. Sci. Adv. 11(2), eadr8826 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adr8826
  26. X. Li, Y. Jia, M. Liu, S. He, J. Guo et al., Ultrastable lasing from perovskite colloidal nanocrystals. Sci. Adv. 11(28), eadq9002 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adq9002
  27. C. Ge, Y. Li, H. Song, Q. Xie, L. Zhang et al., Anisotropic carrier dynamics and laser-fabricated luminescent patterns on oriented single-crystal perovskite wafers. Nat. Commun. 15(1), 914 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45055-y
  28. G. Vats, B. Hodges, A.J. Ferguson, L.M. Wheeler, J.L. Blackburn, Optical memory, switching, and neuromorphic functionality in metal halide perovskite materials and devices. Adv. Mater. 35(37), 2205459 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202205459
  29. S. Liu, P. Li, X. Fu, K. Zhou, Y. Ji et al., Ionic behaviors of perovskite devices and their neuromorphic applications. Adv. Funct. Mater. 36(15), e10934 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202510934
  30. T. Liu, H. Wang, C. Sun, Z. Yuan, X. Wang et al., Suppression of tin oxidation via Sn→B bonding interactions for high-resolution lead-free perovskite neuromorphic imaging sensors. Adv. Mater. 37(29), 2502015 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202502015
  31. R.A. John, A. Milozzi, S. Tsarev, R. Brönnimann, S.C. Boehme et al., Ionic-electronic halide perovskite memdiodes enabling neuromorphic computing with a second-order complexity. Sci. Adv. 8(51), eade0072 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ade0072
  32. H. Wang, B. Sun, S.S. Ge, J. Su, M.L. Jin, On non-von Neumann flexible neuromorphic vision sensors. npj Flex. Electron. 8, 28 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-024-00313-3
  33. Z. Yang, S. Huo, Z. Zhang, F. Meng, B. Liu et al., High-precision multibit opto-electronic synapses based on ReS2/h-BN/graphene heterostructure for energy-efficient and high-accuracy neuromorphic computing. Adv. Funct. Mater. 35(48), 2509119 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202509119
  34. F. Guo, X. Yang, P. Wang, X. Bai, T. Kong et al., Advances in single-crystal films: Synergistic insights from perovskites and organic molecules for high-performance optoelectronics. Small 21(19), 2412101 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202412101
  35. W. Wu, X. Han, J. Li, X. Wang, Y. Zhang et al., Ultrathin and conformable lead halide perovskite photodetector arrays for potential application in retina-like vision sensing. Adv. Mater. 33(9), 2006006 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202006006
  36. Q. Wang, G. Zhang, H. Zhang, Y. Duan, Z. Yin et al., High-resolution, flexible, and full-color perovskite image photodetector via electrohydrodynamic printing of ionic-liquid-based ink. Adv. Funct. Mater. 31(28), 2100857 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202100857
  37. Y. Chen, C. Zhao, T. Zhang, X. Wu, W. Zhang et al., Flexible and filter-free color-imaging sensors with multicomponent perovskites deposited using enhanced vapor technology. Small 17(26), 2007543 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202007543
  38. B. Peng, H. Zhou, Z. Liu, Y. Li, Q. Shang et al., Pattern-selective molecular epitaxial growth of single-crystalline perovskite arrays toward ultrasensitive and ultrafast photodetector. Nano Lett. 22(7), 2948–2955 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c00074
  39. Y. Hou, J. Li, J. Yoon, A.M. Knoepfel, D. Yang et al., Retina-inspired narrowband perovskite sensor array for panchromatic imaging. Sci. Adv. 9(15), eade2338 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ade2338
  40. Z. Long, X. Qiu, C.L.J. Chan, Z. Sun, Z. Yuan et al., A neuromorphic bionic eye with filter-free color vision using hemispherical perovskite nanowire array retina. Nat. Commun. 14(1), 1972 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37581-y
  41. Y. Zhou, D. Liu, H.G. Yang, S. Yang, Y. Hou, Preparation techniques for perovskite single crystal films: from nucleation to growth. Chem. 20(4), e202401294 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/asia.202401294
  42. Y. Pan, X. Wang, Y. Liao, Y. Xu, Y. Li et al., Epitaxial perovskite single-crystalline heterojunctions for filter-free ultra-narrowband detection with tunable spectral responses. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 14(44), 50331–50342 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c13126
  43. Y. He, S. Gao, B. Zhao, H. Chen, Z. Zhu et al., Epitaxial growth of high-quality perovskite heterojunctions for direct-conversion X-ray detectors. ACS Energy Lett. 10(6), 2770–2777 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.5c00938
  44. Y. Guan, C. Zhang, Z. Liu, Y. Zhao, A. Ren et al., Single-crystalline perovskite p–n junction nanowire arrays for ultrasensitive photodetection. Adv. Mater. 34(35), 2203201 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202203201
  45. J. Zhang, C. Li, Y. Liang, J. Song, Q. Shang et al., Solution-processed selective area homoepitaxial growth of suspended MAPbX3 (X = Cl, Br) perovskite micro-arrays. Adv. Funct. Mater. 33(4), 2208841 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202208841
  46. J. Yan, F. Gao, Y. Tian, Y. Li, W. Gong et al., Controllable perovskite single crystal heterojunction for stable self-powered photo-imaging and X-ray detection. Adv. Opt. Mater. 10(17), 2200449 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202200449
  47. Y. Peng, J. Lu, X. Wang, W. Ma, M. Que et al., Self-powered high-performance flexible GaN/ZnO heterostructure UV photodetectors with piezo-phototronic effect enhanced photoresponse. Nano Energy 94, 106945 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2022.106945
  48. Y. Chen, X. Peng, W. Qin, S. Li, L. Zhang et al., Filterless bandpass photodetectors enabled by 2D/3D perovskite heterojunctions. Adv. Funct. Mater. 34(41), 2403942 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202403942
  49. Z. Guo, J. Zhang, X. Liu, L. Wang, L. Xiong et al., Optoelectronic synapses and photodetectors based on organic semiconductor/halide perovskite heterojunctions: materials, devices, and applications. Adv. Funct. Mater. 33(46), 2305508 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202305508
  50. J. Hao, Y.-H. Kim, S.N. Habisreutinger, S.P. Harvey, E.M. Miller et al., Low-energy room-temperature optical switching in mixed-dimensionality nanoscale perovskite heterojunctions. Sci. Adv. 7(18), eabf1959 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf1959
  51. X. Li, W. Zhang, X. Guo, C. Lu, J. Wei et al., Constructing heterojunctions by surface sulfidation for efficient inverted perovskite solar cells. Sci. 375(6579), 434–437 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abl5676
  52. D. Liu, J. Bi, W. Xu, K.W.P. Orr, F. Wang et al., Strain relaxation in halide perovskites via 2D/3D perovskite heterojunction formation. Sci. Adv. 11(26), eadu3459 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adu3459
  53. B. Li, Q. Liu, J. Gong, S. Li, C. Zhang et al., Harnessing strong aromatic conjugation in low-dimensional perovskite heterojunctions for high-performance photovoltaic devices. Nat. Commun. 15(1), 2753 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47112-y
  54. L. Zhang, S. Cui, Q. Guo, C. Ge, Q. Han et al., Anisotropic performance of high-quality MAPbBr3 single-crystal wafers. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 12(46), 51616–51627 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.0c14582
  55. P. Zhang, G. Zhang, L. Liu, D. Ju, L. Zhang et al., Anisotropic optoelectronic properties of melt-grown bulk CsPbBr3 single crystal. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 9(17), 5040–5046 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b01945
  56. P. Saha, M.M. Rahman, C.L. Tolbert, C.M. Hill, Facet-dependent photoelectrochemistry on single crystal organic-inorganic halide perovskite electrodes. Chem. Biomed. Imaging 1(5), 488–494 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1021/cbmi.3c00069
  57. S. Dong, Z.-Y. Hu, P. Wei, J. Han, Z. Wang et al., All-inorganic perovskite single-crystal photoelectric anisotropy. Adv. Mater. 34(37), 2204342 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202204342
  58. Z.Y. Zhang, G.P. Wang, High-performance photoconductive unidirectional rectification in perovskite single-crystal. Adv. Opt. Mater. 14(10), e03555 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202503555
  59. X. Cheng, L. Jing, Y. Zhao, S. Du, J. Ding et al., Crystal orientation-dependent optoelectronic properties of MAPbCl3 single crystals. J. Mater. Chem. C 6(6), 1579–1586 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1039/c7tc05156e
  60. N.K. Tailor, S. Satapathi, Anisotropy in perovskite single crystals: from fundamentals to applications. J. Phys. Chem. C 126(42), 17789–17803 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.2c05534
Read More
Author biographies are not available.
Download this PDF file
PDF SUPPLEMENTARY FILE

Most read articles by the same author(s)