The inhibition of CsPbBr3 nanocrystals glass from self-crystallization with the assistance of ZnO modulation for rewritable data storage

•The self-crystallization of CPB was modulated by ZnO working as the network modifier.•The maximum PLQY of the self-crystallized CPB was up to 45%.•When the content of ZnO was 4 mol%, the non-self-crystallized CPB was obtained.•The non-self-crystallized CPB was applied for rewritable data storage.•The non-self-crystallized CPB for data storage showed excellent water and ethanol stability. In the era of big data, the large amount of data generated every second requires modern and advanced data storage technologies. Femtosecond (fs) laser induced crystallization allow for the realization of fixed-point crystallization inside the CsPbBr3 nanocrystals glasses (CPB), which can be applied in data storage. However, CPB is prone to self-crystallization prior to further heat treatment, interfering with fs-induced crystallization inside the glass and seriously hindering its application in data storage. Herein, we first propose the inhibition of CPB from self-crystallization by modulating the content of ZnO (4–20 mol%) using a melt-quenching method. ZnO was employed as a network modifier and was closely related to the glass network structure. When the content of ZnO was 4%, the CPB did not self-crystallize and was colorless. It was applied in the rewritable data storage by combining the 800 nm fs laser-induced crystallization, annealing (460 ℃/0.5 h) and fs laser erasing (20 mW). This work demonstrates a simple and efficient way to control the self-crystallization of CPBs, enhancing their potential practical application in high-capacity optical data storage with ultra-long working lifetimes.