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Chiral semiconductors have been recently suggested as the basic building blocks for the design of chiral optoelectronic and electronic devices for chiral emission and spintronics. Herein, we report that through the formation of a chiral/achiral heterostructure, one can develop a chiral system that integrates the merits of both chiral and achiral components for developing a demanded chiral emitter. In the R-(+)-(or S-(−)-)1-(1-naphthyl)-ethylammonium lead bromide/CsPbBr3 heterostructure, we show that the photoluminescence of CsPbBr3 carries a degree of circular polarization of around 1% at room temperature. It is explained that such chiral emission is enabled through the chiral self-trapped exitonic absorption of R-(+)- (or S-(−)-)1-(1-naphthyl)-ethylammonium lead bromide. This work may provide an alternative way to generate bright circularly polarized light from achiral materials, which has potential applications in spintronics, biosensing, and signal encryption. 

Moiré lattices formed in twisted and lattice-mismatched van der Waals heterostructures have emerged as a platform to engineer the novel electronic and excitonic states at the nanoscale. This Perspective reviews the materials science of moiré heterostructures with a focus on the structural properties of the interface and its structural–property relationships. We first review the studies of the atomic relaxation and domain structures in moiré superlattices and how these structural studies provide critical insights into understanding the behaviors of quantum-confined electrons and excitons. We discuss the general frameworks to manipulate moiré structures and how such control can be harnessed for engineering new phases of matter and simulating various quantum phenomena. Finally, we discuss routes toward large-scale moiré heterostructures and give an outlook on their applications in quantum electronics and optoelectronics. Special emphasis will be placed on the challenges and opportunities of the reliable fabrication and dynamical manipulation of moiré heterostructures. 

Inversion symmetry breaking could lead to the creation of a Rashba–Dresselhauls magnetic field, which plays the key role in spintronic devices. In this work, we propose and develop a composition gradient engineering approach that breaks inversion symmetry into inorganic halide perovskites with strong spin–orbit coupling. We synthesize epitaxial CsPbBr x Cl (3− x ) with Br/Cl composition gradient by a two-step chemical vapor deposition approach. Through optoelectronic measurements, we show the presence of circular photogalvanic effects (CPGEs), evidencing a Rashba-like spin polarized band structure. By spatially resolved photoluminescence spectra, we find that the observed CPGE is likely a cumulative result of inversion symmetry-broken interfaces featured by abrupt and stepwise composition gradient between the pristine and separated daughter phases. Our work suggests an avenue in engineering the spintronic property of halide perovskites for information processing.