Photosensitive organic–inorganic hybrid ferroelectrics have attracted sustained attention for optoelectronic applications. However, they are traditionally limited in broad spectral response (e.g., visible light, UV light, and IR light), while ferroelectrics with spectrally customized photoresponses still remain a challenge.
In a study published in Angew. Chem. In. Ed., the research group led by Prof. LUO Junhua and Prof. SUN Zhihua from Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter (FJIRSM) of Chinese Academy of Sciences reported a photosensitive organic–inorganic hybrid ferroelectric, (diisobutylammonium)3ClCoCl4, exhibiting a spectrally customized photosensitivity.
Researchers revealed that (diisobutylammonium)3ClCoCl4 consisted of protonated diisobutylammonium cations and monomeric CoCl42- tetrahedra. The distortion of CoCl42- tetrahedra and the orientation of organic cations in the compound synergistically induce symmetry breaking structural phase transition, which significantly contribute to the intrinsic ferroelectricity with a notable spontaneous polarization of approximately 4.6 μC/cm2 and high Curie temperature (Tc = 372.5 K).
Besides, they found that this ferroelectric features a strongly selective photoresponse to specific wave bands ranging from 570 to 700 nm, which was ascribed to the strong light absorption associated with the d–d transitions of Co2+ from the 4A2 ground state to the 4T1 (P) state.
This study sheds light on innovative applications of hybrid photosensitive ferroelectrics, especially on those spectrally selective optoelectronic devices.
An Organic-inorganic Hybrid Ferroelectric Shows a Spectrally Customized Photoresponse (Image by Prof. LUO’s Group).
Contact:
Prof. LUO Junhua
Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Email: jhluo@fjirsm.ac.cn
