Introducing Ferroelasticity into 1D Hybrid Lead Halide Semiconductor by Halogen Substitution Strategy

Giant Anisotropic Thermal Expansion Phase Transition of Silver Iodide Anionic Organic-Inorganic Hybrid

Hybrid metal halide materials with charming phase transition behaviors have attracted considerable attention. In former works, much attention has been focused on the phase transition triggered by the order-disorder or displacement motions of the organic component. However, manipulating the variation of the inorganic component to achieve the phase transition has rarely been reported. Herein, two novel organic-inorganic hybrid materials, [THPM]n[AgX2]n (THPM = 3,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidin-1-ium, X = I for 1 and Br for 2) with the [AgX2]nn- anionic chain structure, were synthesized. At 293 K, the [AgX2]nn- chains in 1 were constructed by the tetramer units of Ag atoms, while that in 2 was assembled by the dimer structure. Upon heating to 355 K, owing to the variation of the metallophilic interaction between adjacent Ag atoms, a unique transformation process from tetramer to dimer in [AgI2]nn- chains of 1 can be detected and endow 1 with a giant anisotropic thermal expansion with linear strain of ∼7% and shear strain of ∼20%, which can be used as a mechanical actuator for switching. Alternatively, for 2, no phase transition process can be observed upon the temperature variation. This work provides an effective approach to design phase transition materials triggered by the inorganic part.

Tunability of Photovoltaic Functions via Halogen Substitution [(Ade)2 CdX4](X = Cl, Br): A Class of Three-Dimensional Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials

Two new three-dimensional organic-inorganic hybrid crystalline materials, [(Ade)2 CdCl4] (1) and [(Ade)2 CdBr4] (2), were obtained by the slow evaporation of adenine (Ade) and cadmium chloride in aqueous solution at room temperature with hydrochloric acid and hydrobromic acid used as halogen sources. The structural, thermal, optical, and electrical properties were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, variable-temperature-variable-frequency dielectric constant analysis, and electrochemical tests. With increasing the substitution of Cl by Br, the composition of the material changed and the space group shifted from P-1 to P21/m, with a significant blue-shift in the fluorescence emission. Changing the temperature induced the deformation of the three-dimensional framework structure formed by hydrogen bonding interactions, leading to dielectric anomalies. Cyclic voltammetry tests showed the good reversibility of the electrolysis process. The structural diversity of the complexes was realized by modulating the halogen composition, and a new method for designing novel organic-inorganic hybrids with controllable photoelectric functionality was proposed.

Three-Step Ferroelastic Transitions from Hexagonal to Triclinic Phases in a Hybrid Perovskite: (1-Fluoromethyl-1-methylpyrrolidine)[CdCl3]

Hybrid ferroelastic crystals have emerged as a hot research topic in recent years owing to their prospective applications in piezoelectric sensors, mechanical switches, and optoelectronic devices. Nevertheless, most of the documented materials exhibit one-step or two-step ferroelastic phase transition(s), and those with multistep ferroelastic transitions are extremely scarce. We present a new hexagonal molecular perovskite based on a fluoro-substituted flexible cyclic ammonium cation, (1-fluoromethyl-1-methylpyrrolidine)[CdCl3] (1), undergoing unusual three-step ferroelastic phase transitions from hexagonal paraelastic phase to orthorhombic, monoclinic, and triclinic ferroelastic phases at 388, 376, and 311 K, respectively, with Aizu notation of 6/mmmFmmm, mmmF2/m, and 2/mF-1, featuring spontaneous strain of 0.002, 0.023, and 0.110, respectively. Furthermore, variable-temperature single-crystal diffraction reveals that the phase-transition mechanism in 1 principally originates from intriguing dynamic change of organic cations and synchronous displacement of inorganic chains. This scarce instance of multistep hybrid ferroelastic provides important clues for finding advanced ferroelastic materials.

1D Pb halide perovskite-like materials for high performance X-ray detection

The strategy of bandgap regulation is important for X-ray detection, but has not been reported for 1D Pb halide perovskite materials. In this work, three such materials, 1, 2 and 3, with a tunable bandgap, were fabricated for application in X-ray detection. 3 shows high sensitivity, far superior to commercial X-ray detectors.

Designing dynamic coordination bonds in polar hybrid crystals for a high-temperature ferroelastic transition

Ferroelastic materials have gained widespread attention as promising candidates for mechanical switches, shape memory, and information processing. Their phase-transition mechanisms usually originate from conventional order-disorder and/or displacive types, while those involving dynamic coordination bonds are still scarce. Herein, based on a strategic molecular design of organic cations, we report three new polar hybrid crystals with a generic formula of AA'RbBiCl6 (A = A' = Me3SO+ for 1; A = Me3SO+ and A' = Me4N+ for 2; A = A' = Me3NNH2+ for 3). Their A-site cations link to the [RbBiCl6]n2n- inorganic framework with lon topology through Rb-O/N coordination bonds, while their significantly different interactions between A'-site cations and inorganic frameworks provide distinct phase-transition behaviour. In detail, the strongly coordinative A'-site Me3SO+ cations prevent 1 from a structural phase transition, while coordinatively free A'-site Me4N+ cations trigger a conventional order-disorder ferroelastic transition at 247 K in 2, accompanied by a latent heat of 0.63 J g-1 and a usual "high → low" second-harmonic-generation (SHG) switch. Interestingly, the A'-site Me3NNH2+ cations in 3 reveal unusual dynamic coordination bonds, driving a high-temperature ferroelastic transition at 369 K with a large latent heat of 18.34 J g-1 and an unusual "low → high" SHG-switching behaviour. This work provides an effective molecular assembly strategy to establish dynamic coordination bonds in a new type of host-guest model and opens an avenue for designing advanced ferroelastic multifunctional materials.

Halogen-Regulated Tc and X-ray Radiation Detection in 2D Hybrid Perovskite Ferroelastic Semiconductor

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) have received particular attention due to their characteristic structural tunability and flexibility. These features make OIHPs behave with excellent modifications on macroscopic properties, such as ferroicity or semiconductor performances, etc. Herein, we report two 2D hybrid stibium-based halide perovskite (C3H7N)3Sb2X9 (X = Br, 1; Cl, 2) ferroelastic semiconductor possessing dual switching properties of dielectric and second harmonic generation (SHG). Notably, these two hybrids exhibit halogen-regulated ferroelasticity and semiconductor properties. There is a significant difference in Curie temperature (Tc) and X-ray radiation detection sensitivity (S), i.e., the ΔTc and ΔS are 38 K and 87 μC Gyair-1 cm-2, respectively. Meanwhile, crystals 1 and 2 do not show dark current drift in cyclic measurements of different radiation doses with stable switching ratios of 30 and 10, separately. Meanwhile, these results were proven by scientific experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our work presents a facile and practical method to regulate macroproperties on the molecular level, providing a new vision to develop hybrid perovskite ferroic-photoelectric materials.