Colossal dielectric constant in PrFeO3 semiconductor ceramics

The perovskite PrFeO₃ ceramics were synthesized via sol–gel method. The dielectric properties and impedance spectroscopy (IS) of these ceramics were studied in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 1000 kHz in the temperature range from 80 K to 300 K. These materials exhibited colossal dielectric constant value of ∼10⁴ at room temperature. The response is similar to that observed for relaxorferroelectrics. IS data analysis indicates the ceramics to be electrically heterogeneous semiconductor consisting of semiconducting grains with dielectric constant 30 and more resistive grain boundaries with effective dielectric constant ∼10⁴. We conclude, therefore that grain boundary effect is the primary source for the high effective permittivity in PrFeO₃ ceramics.     

The enhancement mechanism of dielectric properties of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 via (Mg2+,Sb3+) incorporation for supercapacitors

Due to the extraordinary versatility of the perovskite structure in accommodating different dopant ions in its structure, in recent years a huge number of multifunctional perovskite materials have been developed. In this work we aim to obtain high temperature-stable and huge dielectric constant materials for supercapacitors by doping divalent Mg²⁺ and trivalent Sb³⁺ ions into the octahedral sites, and divalent Sr²⁺ ions into the dodecahedral sites of lead zirconate-titanate perovskite. The resulting (Pb_0.95Sr_0.05)(Zr_0.425Ti_0.45Mg_0.042Sb_0.083)O_3-δ is examined by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), dielectric spectroscopy (DS) and resonance dielectric spectroscopy (RDS) in order to correlate composition, local structure, ion valence and chemical environment of the doped material with the dielectric properties. HRTEM evidences that a composite structure, with co-existent ferroelectric domains and relaxor nanodomains, is formed by doping. XPS shows that Sb³⁺ and Mg²⁺ substitute for the Ti⁴⁺/Zr⁴⁺ ions, pointing to these strong defects as the main cause for the appearance of the relaxor phase. DS and RDS found that the ferroelectric lead zirconate-titanate transforms into a re-entrant relaxor-ferroelectric composite with a huge dielectric constant of about 10⁴ which remains stable (within ±10%) in the high temperature range up to 250 °C, pointing to this mechanism of relaxor phase re-entrance below the normal ferroelectric phase transition, as being responsible for the enhancement.     

Semi-conductive,Switchable Dielectric and Photoluminescent Properties of Two High-Temperature Phase Transition Hybrids

Bistable switches (electrical switching between “ON” and “OFF” bistable states) have gradually developed into an ideal category of highly intelligent materials, due to their significant applications in optical technology, signal processors, data storage and other switchable media applications in the field of electrical devices. Here, we successfully designed and synthesized [(FC₆H₄C₂H₄NH₃)₂MCl₄]_n(FC₆H₄C₂H₄NH₃⁺)=deprotonated 4-fluoro- phenethylamine; M=Cd ( 1 ), Mn ( 2 )), which realized the coupling of thermo-dielectric switching characteristics, semi-conductor characteristics and photo-luminescent properties. DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) and dielectric measurements show that 1 is a sensitive dielectric bistable switch between the high dielectric (ON) and low dielectric (OFF) states. The temperature-variable single crystal structure shows that the both 1 and 2 undergo a high-temperature reversible phase transition around 383 K/380 K, which is caused by the order-disordered transformation of organic cations and the slight distortion of the inorganic framework. In particular, 1 shows outstanding switchable dielectric behavior and semiconducting properties. Further, 1 and 2 emit strong green and yellow luminescence at 527 and 595 nm, respectively.     

新颖的大环冠醚基对碘苯胺包合物：设计合成、晶体结构及介电性质

合成了新颖的有机-无机杂化超分子化合物,[(4-IA-NH3).(18-crown-6)]2.(Cu2Cl6)(1),4-IA-NH3=对碘苯胺离子,18-crown-6=18-冠-6。并通过红外光谱、粉末衍射、热重分析和单晶结构分析对化合物进行了充分表征。在转子定子型的超分子化合物1中,[(4-IA-NH3).(18-crown-6)]-超分子阳离子和(Cu2Cl6)2-阴离子交错堆积形成包合物结构。变温介电常数测量表明,在130~450 K范围内没有相变引起的介电异样。大环醚的热无序运动及由此引起的氢键偶极瞬间变化使得化合物在低频500 Hz和高温350 K以上具有较高的介电常数并伴随高的介电损耗。     

新颖的大环冠醚基对碘苯胺包合物:设计合成、晶体结构及介电性质

合成了新颖的有机-无机杂化超分子化合物, [(4-IA-NH₃)·(18-crown-6)]₂·(Cu₂Cl₆) (1), 4-IA-NH₃=对碘苯胺离子, 18-crown-6=18-冠-6。并通过红外光谱、粉末衍射、热重分析和单晶结构分析对化合物进行了充分表征。在转子定子型的超分子化合物1中, [(4-IA-NH₃)·(18-crown-6)] -超分子阳离子和(Cu₂Cl₆)^2-阴离子交错堆积形成包合物结构。变温介电常数测量表明, 在130~450 K范围内没有相变引起的介电异样。大环醚的热无序运动及由此引起的氢键偶极瞬间变化使得化合物在低频500 Hz和高温350 K以上具有较高的介电常数并伴随高的介电损耗。     

Phase Transitions,Prominent Dielectric Anomalies,and Negative Thermal Expansion in Three High Thermally Stable Ammonium Magnesium–Formate Frameworks

We present three Mg–formate frameworks, incorporating three different ammoniums: [NH₄][Mg(HCOO)₃] ( 1 ), [CH₃CH₂NH₃][Mg(HCOO)₃] ( 2 ) and [NH₃(CH₂)₄NH₃][Mg₂(HCOO)₆] ( 3 ). They display structural phase transitions accompanied by prominent dielectric anomalies and anisotropic and negative thermal expansion. The temperature‐dependent structures, covering the whole temperature region in which the phase transitions occur, reveal detailed structural changes, and structure–property relationships are established. Compound 1 is a chiral Mg–formate framework with the NH₄⁺ cations located in the channels. Above 255 K, the NH₄⁺ cation vibrates quickly between two positions of shallow energy minima. Below 255 K, the cations undergo two steps of freezing of their vibrations, caused by the different inner profiles of the channels, producing non‐compensated antipolarization. These lead to significant negative thermal expansion and a relaxor‐like dielectric response. In perovskite 2 , the orthorhombic phase below 374 K possesses ordered CH₃CH₂NH₃⁺ cations in the cubic cavities of the Mg–formate framework. Above 374 K, the structure becomes trigonal, with trigonally disordered cations, and above 426 K, another phase transition occurs and the cation changes to a two‐fold disordered state. The two transitions are accompanied by prominent dielectric anomalies and negative and positive thermal expansion, contributing to the large regulation of the framework coupled the order–disorder transition of CH₃CH₂NH₃⁺. For niccolite 3 , the gradually enhanced flipping movement of the middle ethylene of [NH₃(CH₂)₄NH₃]²⁺ in the elongated framework cavity finally leads to the phase transition with a critical temperature of 412 K, and the trigonally disordered cations and relevant framework change, providing the basis for the very strong dielectric dispersion, high dielectric constant (comparable to inorganic oxides), and large negative thermal expansion. The spontaneous polarizations for the low‐temperature polar phases are 1.15, 3.43 and 1.51 μC cm^?2 for 1 , 2 and 3 , respectively, as estimated by the shifts of the cations related to the anionic frameworks. Thermal and variable‐temperature powder X‐ray diffraction studies confirm the phase transitions, and the materials are all found to be thermally stable up to 470 K.     

Carrier dynamics in CsPbI3 perovskite microcrystals synthesized in solution phase

Carrier diffusion and recombination kinetics in all-inorganic CsPbI₃ perovskite microcrystals directly synthesized in solution phase are reported.     

Thermo- and light-triggered reversible interconversion of dysprosium–anthracene complexes and their responsive optical,magnetic and dielectric properties

Artificial smart materials with switchable multifunctionality are of immense interest owing to their wide application in sensors, displays and memory devices. Lanthanide complexes are promising multifunctional materials integrating optical and magnetic characteristics. However, synergistic manipulation of different physical properties in lanthanide systems is still challenging. Herein we designed and synthesized a mononuclear complex [Dy^III(SCN)₃(depma)₂(4-hpy)₂] (1), which incorporates 9-diethylphosphonomethylanthracene (depma) as a photo-active component and 4-hydroxypyridine (4-hpy) as a polar component. This compound shows several unusual features: (a) reversible thermo-responsive phase transition associated with the order–disorder transition of 4-hpy and SCN⁻, which leads to thermochromic behavior and dielectric anomaly; (b) reversible photo-induced dimerization of anthracene groups, which leads to synergistic switching of luminescence, magnetic and dielectric properties. To our knowledge, compound 1 is the first example of lanthanide complexes that show stimuli-triggered synergistic and reversible switching of luminescence, magnetic and dielectric properties.

[Dy^III(SCN)₃(depma)₂(4-hpy)₂] (1) shows reversible thermo-induced phase transition associated with thermochromism and dielectric anomaly and photo-induced dimerization with synergistic switching of luminescence, magnetic and dielectric properties.     

A hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite with robust SHG switching

Owing to the diversity of structure and potential applications in the field of electrics,sensors,and light-emitting diodes,lead halide perovskites have attracted great attention in recent years.Especially those lead halide perovskites with non-centrosymmetric crystal structures usually exhibit nonlinear optical（NLO） characteristics,which may endow them photoelectricity switching functionality.In this work,a lead-based hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite（HOIP） material,trimethyliodomethylammonium...     

Achieving Color-Tunable Long Persistent Luminescence in Cs2CdCl4 Ruddlesden-Popper Phase Perovskites

Two-dimensional (2D)-halide perovskites have been enriched over recent years to offer remarkable features from diverse chemical structures and environmental stability endowed with exciting functionalities in photoelectric detectors and phosphorescence systems. However, the low conversion efficiency of singlet to triplet in 2D hybrid halide perovskites reduces phosphorescence lifetimes. In this study, the long persistent luminescence of 2D all-inorganic perovskites with a self-assembled 2D interlayer galleries structure is investigated. The results show that the decay time of the long persistent luminescence increases from 450 s to 600 s, and the luminescence color changes from cyan to orange, and the thermal stability of photoluminescence enhances dramatically after replacing Cd²⁺ by appropriate Mn²⁺ ions in 2D Cs₂CdCl₄ Ruddlesden-Popper phase perovskites. Furthermore, diversified anti-counterfeiting modes are fabricated to highlight the promising applications of Cs₂CdCl₄ perovskite systems with tunable persistent luminescence in advanced anti-counterfeiting. Therefore, our studies provide a novel model for realizing tunable long persistent luminescence of perovskite with 2D self-assembled layered structure for advanced anti-counterfeiting.     

H/F Substitution Induced Large Increase of Tc in a 3D Hybrid Rare-Earth Double Perovskite Multifunctional Compound

Increasing attention has been devoted to studying perovskite-type multifunctional stimuli-responsive materials with multiple channel physical characteristics. However, it remains challenging to simultaneously achieve multifunction and regulate structural phase transition temperature in hybrid perovskites. Here, we report two three-dimensional organic–inorganic hybrid rare-earth double perovskite compounds, (HQ)₂RbEu(NO₃)₆ ( 1 , HQ=quinuclidium) and (4FHQ)₂RbEu(NO₃)₆ ( 2 , 4FHQ=4-fluoro-quinuclidium), which exhibit ferroelasticity, dielectric switch, and excellent photoluminescence response. The phase transition temperature of 2 increases 169 K compared with 1 through H/F substitution. This result is attributed to the H/F substitution inducing the generation of the Rb-F coordination bond between cations and anions. Meanwhile, the photoluminescence emission intensity of 2 shows no quench with the increase of temperature, in particular, the emission spectrum achieves fine regulation at high temperatures. This work provides a new solution for the realization of multi-functions and regulations of the properties based on hybrid perovskite materials with high critical temperatures.     

High-Temperature and Large-Polarization Ferroelectric with Second Harmonic Generation Response in a Novel Crown Ether Clathrate

Molecular ferroelectrics of high-temperature reversible phase transitions are very rare and have attracted increasing attention in recent years. In this paper is described the successful synthesis of a novel high-temperature host-guest inclusion ferroelectric: [(C₆H₅NF₃)(18-crown-6)][BF₄] ( 1 ) that shows a pair of reversible peaks at 348 K (heating) and 331 K (cooling) with a heat hysteresis about 17 K by differential scanning calorimetry measurements, thus indicating that 1 undergoes a reversible structural phase transition. Variable-temperature PXRD and temperature-dependent dielectric measurements further prove the phase-transition behavior of 1 . The second harmonic response demonstrates that 1 belongs to a non-centrosymmetric space group at room temperature and is a good nonlinear optical material. In its semiconducting properties, 1 shows a wide optical band gap of about 4.43 eV that comes chiefly from the C, H and O atoms of the crystals. In particular, the ferroelectric measurements of 1 exhibit a typical polarization-electric hysteresis loop with a large spontaneous polarization (P_s) of about 4.06 μC/cm². This finding offers an alternative pathway for designing new ferroelectric-dielectric and nonlinear optical materials and related physical properties in organic-inorganic and other hybrid crystals.     

Two 3D Rubidium Halide Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite Ferroelectrics Templated by Quasi-Spherical Organic Amine 1,4-Diazabicyclo[3.2.2]nonane

The emergence of (CH₃NH₃)PbI₃ has brought the development of three-dimensional (3D) organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite (OIHP) structures with ABX₃ type to a higher level; however, most 3D frameworks are constructed by corner-sharing of BX₆ octahedra. Herein, we substituted the spherical molecule 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (2.2.2-dabco) with 1,4-diazabicyclo[3.2.2]nonane (1,4-3.2.2-dabcn) as a template to react with RbX (X=Br, I) in the corresponding HX acids under the consideration of reducing the molecular symmetry. Two 3D OIHP compounds [1,4-3.2.2-H₂dabcn]RbI₃⋅H₂O ( 1 ) and [1,4-3.2.2-H₂dabcn]RbBr₃ ( 2 ) crystallized in non-centrosymmetric point group mm2 before the phase transition point were isolated. Among them, the 3D inorganic framework of 1 is constructed by sharing the corner of [RbI₆] octahedra, while that of 2 is constructed by sharing the corner and face of [RbBr₆] octahedra to acquire large cavities to accommodate the organic amine cation [1,4-3.2.2-H₂dabcn]²⁺; this 3D framework type is unprecedented in the OIHPs. As expected, compounds 1 and 2 exhibit reversible phase transition, dielectric and second harmonic generation (SHG) and ferroelectric properties, in which the phase transition temperature of 2 at 374 K is much higher than compound 1 at 280 K.     

A Narrow Bandgap of 2D Ruddlesden-Popper Bilayer Perovskite with Giant Entropy Change and Photoluminescence

The multifunctional two-dimensional (2D) organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have potential applications in many fields, such as, semiconductor, energy storage and fluorescent device etc. Here, a 2D Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) perovskite (IPA)₂(FA)Pb₂I₇ ( 1 , IPA⁺=C₃H₉NI⁺, FA⁺=CN₂H₅⁺) is determined for its photophysical properties. Strikingly, 1 reveals a solid reversible phase transition with T_c of 382 K accompanied by giant entropy change of 40 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹. Further optical investigations indicate that 1 reveals a narrow direct bandgap (2.024 eV) attributed to the slight bending of I−Pb-I edge and inorganic [Pb₂I₇]_n layer and a superior photoluminescence (PL) emission with super long lifetime of 0.1607 ms. It is believed that this work will pave an avenue to further design multifunctional semiconductors that combines energy storage and photoelectric materials.     

A multifunctional molecular ferroelectric with chiral features,a high Curie temperature,large spontaneous polarization and photoluminescence: (C9H14N)2CdBr4

Low-dimensional chiral organic–inorganic hybrid metal halides have attracted a lot of attention in recent years due to their unique intrinsic properties, including having potential applications in optoelectronic and spintronic devices. However, low-dimensional chiral molecular ferroelectrics are very rare. In this paper, we report a novel zero-dimensional molecular ferroelectric (C₉H₁₄N)₂CdBr₄ (C₉H₁₄N⁺ = protonated 3-phenylpropylamine), which has obvious dielectric and thermal anomalies and shows a high Curie temperature at 395 K. It crystallizes in the P2₁ space group at room temperature, showing a strong CD signal, large spontaneous polarization (P_s = 13.5 μC cm⁻²), and a clear ferroelectric domain. In addition, it also exhibits a flexible SHG response. The photoluminescence spectrum shows that 1 has broadband luminescence. At the same time, compound 1 has a wide band gap, which is mainly contributed to by the inorganic CdBr₄ tetrahedron. The high tunability of low-dimensional chiral molecular ferroelectrics also opens up a way to explore multifunctional chiral materials.

A novel molecular ferroelectric (C₉H₁₄N)₂CdBr₄ with high Curie temperature (T_c = 395 K), strong CD signal, large spontaneous polarization, clear ferroelectric domain and fluorescence characteristics.     

Controlled Growth of Hybrid Halide Perovskites by Crown Ether Complexation for Perovskite Solar Cells

Host-guest complexation has demonstrated potential for controlling hybrid organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite materials. In particular, crown ethers have been used due to their capacity to interact with metal cations (e. g., Pb²⁺) and small organic cations (e. g., methylammonium (MA)), which can affect hybrid perovskite materials and their solar cells. However, this strategy has been underexploited in perovskite photovoltaics, and the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we investigate the influence of 15-crown-5 ( 15C5 ) and its benzannulated derivative (benzo-15-crown-5, B15C5 ), as well as amino-functionalized analogues (15-crown-5)-2-methylamine, 2A-15C5 , and 4′-aminobenzo-15-crown-5, 4A-B15C5 , on MAPbI₃ perovskite crystallization and inverted solar cell performance. We demonstrate the propensity of crown ether modulators to interact with Pb²⁺ cations at the perovskite interface by density functional theory calculations. This has been shown to facilitate oriented crystal growth and homogeneous film formation, as revealed by X-ray diffraction analysis complemented by scanning electron microscopy. As a result, we demonstrate an increase in the power conversion efficiency of the solar cells of interest to advancing hybrid photovoltaics.     

From Synthesis to Applications: Copper Calcium Titanate (CCTO) and its Magnetic and Photocatalytic Properties

Investigations focusing on electrical energy storage capacitors especially the dielectric ceramic capacitors for high energy storage density are attracting more and more attention in the recent years. Ceramic capacitors possess a faster charge-discharge rate and improved mechanical and thermal properties compared with other energy storage devices such as batteries. The challenge is to obtain ceramic capacitors with outstanding mechanical, thermal and storage properties over large temperature and frequencies ranges. ABO₃ as a type of perovskites showed a strong piezoelectric, dielectric, pyroelectric, and electro-optic properties useful as energy storage and environmental devices. CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) perovskite with cubic lattice (Im3 symmetry) was discovered to have a colossal dielectric constant (10⁴) that is stable over a wide range of frequencies (10 Hz–1 MHz) and temperature independence (100–300 K). The origin of this high dielectric constant is not fully established, specially because it is the same for single crystal and thin films. In this review, the history of CCTO will be introduced. The synthesis and the sintering approaches, the dopant elements used as well as the applications of CCTO will be reported. In addition to dielectrical properties useful to energy storage devices; CCTO could serve as photocatalytic materials with a very good performance in visible light.     

镉基杂化晶体的介电相变和蓝白光致发光双重特性

通过采用容易无序的胺,我们合成了2种有机无机杂化晶体,分别为基于bempy （bempy=1-甲基-1-溴乙基吡咯烷阳离子）的溴盐化合物（bempy） Br （1）和镉基溴化物（bempy）₂CdBr₄（2）,并对其结构相变、介电相变和蓝白荧光进行了详细的表征分析。化合物1在测试温度范围内未观察到可逆相变,化合物2为高温介电相变,介电和差示扫描量热法测试表征其相变温度为357 K。同时,化合物1和2均具备蓝白光致发光特性,荧光测试表明,化合物1和2分别在538 nm和547、750 nm处存在发射峰。化合物2具备介电相变和蓝白光致发光的双重特性。     

Cerium luminescence in nd perovskites

The luminescence of Ce³⁺ in perovskite (ABO₃) hosts with nd⁰ B-site cations, specifically Ca(Hf,Zr)O₃ and (La,Gd)ScO₃, is investigated in this report. The energy position of the Ce³⁺ excitation and emission bands in these perovskites is compared to those of typical Al³⁺ perovskites; we find a Ce³⁺ 5d¹ centroid shift and Stokes shift that are larger versus the corresponding values for the Al³⁺ perovskites. It is also shown that Ce³⁺ luminescence quenching is due to Ce³⁺ photoionization. The comparison between these perovskites shows reasonable correlations between Ce³⁺ luminescence quenching, the energy position of the Ce³⁺ 5d¹ excited state with respect to the host conduction band, and the host composition.     

A Three‐Step Method for the Deposition of Large Cuboids of Organic–Inorganic Perovskite and Application in Solar Cells

A three‐step method for the deposition of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite films with a high crystalline structure and large cuboid overlayer morphology is reported. The method includes PbI₂ deposition, which is followed by dipping into a solution of C₄H₉NH₃I (BAI) and (BA)₂PbI₄ perovskite formation. In the final step, the poorly thermodynamically stable (BA)₂PbI₄ phase converts into the more stable CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite by dipping into a solution of CH₃NH₃I. The final product is characterized by XRD, SEM, UV/Vis, and photoluminescence analysis methods. The experimental results indicate that the prepared perovskite has cuboids with high crystallinity and large sizes (up to 1 μm), as confirmed by XRD and SEM data. Photovoltaic investigations show that the three‐step method results in higher solar cell efficiency (15 % enhancement in efficiency) with a better reproducibility than the conventional two‐step deposition method.