Near‐Full‐Spectrum Emission Control in Copper(I) Iodides via Inorganic Structural Engineering Within a Single‐Cation Host
Hybrid copper(I) halides have emerged as a new class of optoelectronic materials due to their tunable structure and photophysical properties. However, systematically correlating inorganic polyhedra configurations with emission characteristics remains challenging. Herein, we address this by synthesizing a homologous series of copper(I) iodides templated solely by the [C<sub>13</sub>H<sub>24</sub>N]<sup>+</sup> cation. Precise control reaction conditions yielded distinct inorganic polyhedral configurations, monomeric [CuI<sub>3</sub>]<sup>2-</sup> (1), dimeric [Cu<sub>2</sub>I<sub>4</sub>]<sup>2-</sup> (2), trimeric [Cu<sub>3</sub>I<sub>6</sub>]<sup>3-</sup> (3), and tetrameric [Cu<sub>4</sub>I<sub>6</sub>]<sup>2-</sup> (4). We establish a direct correlation where increasing inorganic aggregation systematically reduces the bandgap and dictates the luminescence color across a near-full visible spectrum, from blue (1) to cyan (2), red (3), and yellow (4). Detailed spectroscopic and theoretical analyses reveal the self-trapped excitons emission mechanism dependent on the Cu-I configuration, in which the closed [Cu<sub>4</sub>I<sub>6</sub>]<sup>2-</sup> configuration is more resistant to excited lattice deformation, thereby resulting in a lowest Stokes shift energy. Furthermore, stimuli-responsive sequential phase transitions between these well-defined structures were demonstrated, offering insights into their structural dynamics. This work provides critical fundamental understanding of how inorganic framework engineering within a fixed organic host precisely controls both electronic structure and excited-state relaxation pathways in hybrid copper(I) halides, paving the way for rational design of materials with tailored optical properties.
Authors
- Yong Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8623-0453)
- Xiao-Dong Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1370-6371)
- Pengfei She (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4246-1361)
- Qiang Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3788-4757)
- Shujuan Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6758-6729)
- Ning Ding (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1321-9314)
- Yun Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8352-3760)
- Jiangang Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5234-652X)
- Yongkang Zhu
- Yongjing Deng
- Mengzhu Wang
Institutions
- Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (CN)
- Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2025-08-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202514416
- Citations
- 9
- Primary Topic
- Perovskite Materials and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.57
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation