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Effective design and synthesis of second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) materials hold immense significance in driving modern science and technology advancements. In this study, we synthesized a new acentric mercury nitrate, (C5H12N2S)Hg(NO3)2, by regulating the coordination of the Hg atom through the introduction of a heteroatom. It exhibits an unprecedented [(C5H12N2S)2Hg2(NO3)4]∞ chain composed of Hg2+, NO3-, and organic molecule C5H12N2S. Notably, (C5H12N2S)Hg(NO3)2 demonstrates an unprecedented HgO3S unit and a second harmonic generation (SHG) intensity of 1.3 × KDP at 1064 nm, presenting the second-order nonlinear mercury nitrate constructed by organic molecule. Theoretical calculations suggest that the HgO3S unit and organic molecule C5H12N2S significantly contribute to the SHG effect. This study demonstrates that the incorporation of heteroatoms is an effective strategy for the development of new NLO materials.
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Designing and synthesizing multifunctional hybrid copper halides with near ultraviolet (NUV) light-excited high-energy emission (< 500 nm) remains challenging. Here, a pair of broadband-excited high-energy emitting isomers, namely, α-/ß-(MePh3P)2CuI3 (MePh3P = methyltriphenylphosphonium), were synthesized. α-(MePh3P)2CuI3 with blue emission peaking at 475 nm is firstly discovered wherein its structure contains regular [CuI3]2â triangles and crystallizes in centrosymmetric space group P21/c. While ß-(MePh3P)2CuI3 featuring distorted [CuI3]2â planar triangles shows inversion symmetry breaking and crystallizes in the noncentrosymmetric space group P21, which exhibits cyan emission peaking at 495 nm with prominent near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield and the excitation band ranging from 200 to 450 nm. Intriguingly, ß-(MePh3P)2CuI3 exhibits phase-matchable second-harmonic generation response of 0.54 × KDP and a suitable birefringence of 0.06@1064 nm. Furthermore, ß-(MePh3P)2CuI3 also can be excited by X-ray radioluminescence with a high scintillation light yield of 16193 photon/MeV and an ultra-low detection limit of 47.97 nGy/s, which is only 0.87% of the standard medical diagnosis (5.5 µGy/s). This work not only promotes the development of solid-state lighting, laser frequency conversion and X-ray imaging, but also provides a reference for constructing multifunctional hybrid metal halides.
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Nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals are widely used in various fields. The introduction of lone-pair cations is regarded as an effective strategy to explore NLO crystals. In this work, two novel lead phosphite halides, centrosymmetric Pb6(HPO3)(H2PO3)Cl9 and noncentrosymmetric Pb6(HPO3)2Br8(H2O)·H2O, were obtained via a hydrothermal method. Pb6(HPO3)(H2PO3)Cl9 is the first reported lone-pair metal phosphite with two kinds of phosphite groups (HPO32- and H2PO3-) and Pb6(HPO3)2Br8(H2O)·H2O is the first inorganic NLO phosphite halide with a phase-matchable SHG effect of 1.02 × KDP. In addition, the Pb-centered polyhedral units of PbOCl4, PbOCl6, PbO2Cl5, PbO2Br5, PbOBr6, and PbO3(H2O)Br3 in these two structures have never been reported before. An in-depth study on the structure-property relationship of the two compounds with halogen substitution is also performed.
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The potential application of stimuli-responsive hybrid copper halides in information storage and switch devices has generated significant interest. However, their transformation mechanism needs to be further studied deeply. Herein, two zero-dimensional (0D) organic-inorganic hybrids, namely, (TBA)CuBr2 (1) with linear [CuBr2]- units and (TBA)2Cu4Br6 (2) with [Cu4Br6]2- clusters (TBA+ = (C4H9)4N+), are synthesized using simple solvent evaporation approaches. Interestingly, upon exposure to distinct protic solvents, such as methanol, ethanol, ethylene glycol, or hot water, 1 undergoes a transformation into 2 with varying degrees of transition, accompanied by a change in luminescence color from cyan to orange (or mixed color) under high-energy emission (e.g., 254 nm) excitation. Hot water can trigger 1 to completely transform into 2 because of its large contact angle difference in the solvents. Furthermore, 2 can be converted back to 1 through a simple solid-state mechanochemical reaction. Additionally, the structure of 2 remains unchanged even after immersion in 80 °C H2O for 168 h due to the dense organic framework. This study provides valuable insights for exploring reversible structural transformation materials in the 0D metal halide system.
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The development of short-wavelength nonlinear optical (NLO) materials is indispensable and urgently required for further applications. Halides have been disregarded as potential NLO materials with deep-ultraviolet (DUV) cutoff edges due to their weak second-harmonic generation (SHG) response and poor birefringence. Here, two novel and isostructural halides, KBa3M2F14Cl (M = Zr (KBZFC), Hf (KBHFC)), possess structures that are formed by isolated MF7 monocapped triangular prisms and dissociative K+, Ba2+, and Cl- ions. Compared with reported metal halides that are transparent to the DUV region, KBZFC and KBHFC possess the strongest SHG responses (approximately 1, 0.9 × KH2PO4), which are contributed by the synergistic effect of MF7 (M = Zr, Hf) groups, Ba2+ cations, and Cl- ions. The zero-dimensional structures favour sufficient birefringences (0.12, 0.10 @ 1064 nm) for phase-matchable (PM) behaviours. The discovery of KBZFC and KBHFC showcases the potential of NLO mixed metal halides transparent to the DUV region.
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Designing short-wavelength nonlinear-optical (NLO) crystals is of vital importance for laser applications. Here, the combination of alkaline-earth metals, d0 transition metals, and F atom has generated two new and isostructural fluorides, CaBaZr2F12 (CBZF) and CaBaHf2F12 (CBHF), which adopt centrosymmetric space group I4/mmm. Taking CBZF and CBHF as the parents, two new fluorides, K2BaZr2F12 (KBZF) and K2BaHf2F12 (KBHF), with an Imm2 polar structure were obtained via a heterovalent cation substitution strategy. All four compounds feature ZrF8-dodecahedra-built {[Zr2F12]4-}∞ chains and show short ultraviolet cutoff edges (<200 nm). KBZF and KBHF show phase-matchable behavior with moderate second-harmonic-generation responses [0.6 and 0.35 × KH2PO4 (KDP)] under 1064 nm laser radiation. This work enriches fluorides as promising short-wavelength NLO materials.
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Exploring ultraviolet (UV) nonlinear-optical (NLO) materials is significant for the conversion of a high-frequency laser. Two scandium phosphites, Sc(HPO3)(H2PO3)(H2O) and Sc(H2PO3)3, were successfully synthesized. Centric Sc(HPO3)(H2PO3)(H2O) exhibits a short UV cutoff edge (<200 nm) and a unique double-layer structure of [Sc2(HPO3)2(H2PO3)2(H2O)2]∞. The acentric Sc(H2PO3)3 exhibits a three-dimensional [Sc(H2PO3)3]∞ structure with a large band gap of 4.05 eV, and it demonstrates a moderately phase-matchable second-harmonic-generation response [0.60 × KDP (KH2PO4)] at 1064 nm. The crystal structures, optical properties, and theoretical calculations of the two compounds are discussed. This work will promote the exploration of new NLO phosphite materials.
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Oxychalcogenides are increasingly attracting wide attention because they contain multiple anions that may combine the advantages of oxides and chalcogenides. In this work, two new pentanary oxythiogermanates, Ba3MGe3O2S8 [M = Ca (1), Zn (2)], were synthesized by a high-temperature solid-state reaction. They crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Pnma, and their structures contain isolated [Ge3O2S8]8- units constructed by one [GeO2S2] and two [GeOS3] tetrahedra that link with M2+ ions to build the {[MGe3O2S8]6-}∞ chain, representing a new type of oxythiogermanate. Notably, a [ZnS5] square pyramid exists in 2. Their structural chemistry and relationship with relevant structures are analyzed. 1 and 2 exhibit wide band gaps of 3.93 and 2.63 eV, birefringences of 0.100 and 0.089 at 2100 nm, respectively, and also obvious photocurrent responses. This work may be extended to a family of AE3MIIMIV3O2Q8 (AE = alkali-earth metal; MII = Ca, Zn, Cd, Hg; MIV = Si, Ge, Sn; Q = S, Se), and further systematic survey on them can be performed to enrich the study of multifunctional oxychalcogenides.
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Noncentrosymmetric chalcogenides are promising candidates for infrared nonlinear-optical (NLO) crystals, and exploring high-performance ones is a hot topic and challengeable. Herein, the combination of AgQ4, InQ4, and SiQ4 (Q = S, Se) units with different S/Se ratios resulted in the discovery of the tetrahedral chalcogenides Ag2In2SiS4Se2 (1) and Ag2In2SiS5Se (2). They both crystallize in the monoclinic Cc space group with different local structures. Co-occupied S/Se sites only exist in 2, and the arrangement of [In2SiQ3] six-membered rings builds different helical chains and 3D [(In2SiQ6)2-]n polyanionic frameworks in 1 and 2. They show balanced NLO performances, including phase-matchable moderate NLO responses (0.7 and 0.5 × AGS) and enhanced laser-induced damage thresholds (4.5 and 5.1 × AGS). Theoretical calculations reveal that their NLO responses are predominantly contributed by the AgQ4 and InQ4 units.
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Obtaining compounds with large nonlinear-optical (NLO) coefficients and wide band gaps is challenging due to their competitive requirements for chemical bonds. Herein, the first member with mixed cations on the A site in the A-M3-Q5 or A-Ag-M6-Q10 (A = alkali metal; M = Ga, In; Q = S, Se, Te) family, viz. Na0.45Ag0.55Ga3Se5 (NAGSe), was obtained by a solid-state reaction. Its structure features [GaSe4] tetrahedra built three-dimensional {[Ga3Se5]-}∞ network, with Na and Na/Ag cations located at the octahedral cavities. Noncentrosymmetric (R32) NAGSe can also be transformed from centrosymmetric RbGa3S5 (P21/c) via multiple-site cosubstitution. NAGSe exhibits the highest NLO response (1.9 × AGS) in the A-Ag-M-Q family. Crystal structure analysis and theoretical calculations suggest that the NLO response is mainly contributed by the regularly arranged [GaSe4] units. This work enriches the exploration of the undeveloped A-M3-Q5 or A-Ag-M6-Q10 family as potential infrared NLO materials.
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Zirconium/hafnium fluorides have recently been recognized as potential nonlinear optical (NLO) materials with short ultraviolet (UV) cutoff edges, which is significant in laser science and industry. The synthesis of noncentrosymmetric (NCS) materials based on centrosymmetric (CS) compounds by an isovalent cation substitution-oriented design is an emerging strategy in the NLO territory. Here, two isostructural and novel fluorides, CaBaMF8 (M = Zr (1), Hf (2)), have been synthesized through the combination of alkaline earth metals, zirconium/hafnium, and fluorine elements. They feature zero-dimensional and CS structures composed by an isolated MF8 (M = Zr, Hf) dodecahedron and dissociative Ca2+ and Ba2+ cations, and they display short UV cutoff edges (<200 nm) as well. Two three-dimensional fluorides Li2CaMF8 (M = Zr (3), Hf (4)) are obtained by replacing Ba with alkali metal Li atom, which not only represent phase-matchable second-harmonic-generation activities (0.36, 0.30× KH2PO4 (KDP)) at 1064 nm but also maintain short UV cutoff edges with high reflectance. This work has largely enriched the family of NCS zirconium/hafnium fluorides reaching the short UV region.
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Designing new compounds based on anion regulation has been widely favored due to the production of diverse crystal structures and excellent optical properties. Here, a new nitrate oxyfluoride, Hg16O12(NO3)6F2(H2O), has been obtained through a hydrothermal reaction. It crystallizes in the centric Ibca space group and shows a novel three-dimensional [(Hg16O12F2(H2O))6+]∞ cationic framework composed of interconnected HgO2F, HgO3, and HgO2(H2O) units, with isolated NO3- groups as balanced anions to build the whole structure. Notably, the HgO2F and HgO2(H2O) units are first presented here among mercury (Hg)-based compounds. Additionally, Hg16O12(NO3)6F2(H2O) exhibits a large birefringence of 0.17 at 546 nm. This work enriches the multiformity of Hg-based compounds and provides a route for developing promising birefringent materials.
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ConspectusSecond-order nonlinear optical (NLO) materials are currently a hot topic in modern solid-state chemistry and optics because they can produce coherent light by frequency conversion. Noncentrosymmetric (NCS) structure is not only the prerequisite for NLO materials but also a challengeable issue because materials tend to be centrosymmetric (CS) in terms of thermodynamical stability. Among NLO materials, an excellent infrared (IR) candidate should simultaneously meet several strict key conditions including a large NLO coefficient, high laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT), phase-matchable (PM) behavior, and so on. Achieving a balance between the large NLO effect and high LIDT is difficult, as they have contradictory requirements for chemical bonds. Considering the urgent need of the high-power IR laser market and the drawbacks of the available ones, exploring new high-performance IR NLO crystals is necessary while challenging. In this Account, we first briefly introduce the status and advancement of IR NLO crystals and emphasize the criteria of an excellent candidate. Then, we will introduce five simple methods developed by us to discover practical NLO candidates through understanding of the chemical composition-structure-NLO performance relationship. (1) A rarely investigated system with simple chemical compositions as new-type NLO crystals, namely, adducts containing S8 molecules, are developed. Combining a chairlike S8 unit with other units through van der Waals forces has successfully obtained several high-performance NLO adducts. (2) The main trend in exploring new NLO crystals is that the chemical composition is more and more diversified and the structure is more and more complex, and expensive and chemically active alkaline and alkaline earth metals are usually introduced as counter cations. In contrast, the research on systems with simple chemical compositions, simple structures, and low costs has been continuously ignored. The binary M2Q3 (M = Ga, In; Q = S, Se) family with rich acentric modifications has been systematically investigated, and they all exhibit strong SHG effects and high LIDTs. (3) We first proposed the concept of inducing CS structures transformed to NCS ones by partial cation substitution to design novel NLO crystals. Considering the huge number of CS structures in the database compared to the number of NCS structures, it is an attractive method to apply CS structures as the parents to obtain potential NLO materials via partial-substitution-induced symmetry breaking. A series of chalcogenides with high NLO performances have been successfully obtained by us in this way. (4) We investigated the first NLO-active rare earth (RE) chalcophosphates and developed this family systematically, and they demonstrate wonderful comprehensive NLO properties. (5) We created a novel mixed-anion system for NLO applications, namely, chalcogenide borates. Usually, mixed-anion compounds can engender a synergistic effect to obtain desired IR NLO properties. Our recent progress on this system suggests that chalcogenide borates are potential candidates for IR NLO applications, although the study is still in its infancy. Finally, we state the current problems of IR NLO materials and give some perspectives for their future development.
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Traditional fluorides are rarely reported as candidates for nonlinear optical (NLO) materials featuring a deep-ultraviolet cutoff edge. Theoretical investigations suggest that the ZrF8 dodecahedron shows large polarizability anisotropy and benefits for large birefringence. Herein, a new fluorine-rich fluoride, K3Ba2Zr6F31, was synthesized by coupling the ZrF8 group, featuring acentric cis-[Zr6F34]10- clusters with a 63-screw axis. Significantly, K3Ba2Zr6F31 exhibits a short UV cutoff edge (below 200 nm) and moderate second-harmonic generation (SHG) response (0.5 × KH2PO4). It also possesses a relatively large birefringence (0.08@1064 nm), together with a broad transparency window (2.5-21.1 µm). First-principles calculations suggest that the cis-[Zr6F34]10- cluster built by ZrF8 dodecahedra are the dominant contributors to the large band gap (7.89 eV, cal.) and SHG response simultaneously. Such systematic work highlights that Zr-based fluorides afford a new paradigm for the development of efficient NLO materials with a short UV cutoff edge.
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As one of the potential candidates of nonlinear-optical (NLO) materials, rare-earth chalcophosphates have demonstrated promising properties. Here, KREP2S6 (RE = Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy) were synthesized using the facile RE2O3-B-S solid-state method. They crystallize with a monoclinic chiral P21 structure, and their layer structures are built by isolated ethane-like P2S6 dimers and RES8 bicapped trigonal prisms built {[RE2S15]24-}∞ layers. By comparing the structures with related ones, the change of the alkali metal or RE3+ ions can cause structural transformation. Their band gaps are tunable between 2.58 and 3.79 eV, and their powder samples exhibit good NLO properties. Theoretical calculations suggest that the NLO properties are mainly contributed by P2S6 units and {[RE2S15]24-}∞ layers synergistically, in which {[RE2S15]24-}∞ layers and P2S6 units dominate the contribution to the band gap and second-harmonic-generation response, respectively. This work enriches the application of rare-earth chalcophosphates as NLO materials.
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Exploring nonlinear optical (NLO) materials with short ultraviolet cutoff edges are significant for developing an all-solid-state laser. Here, a noncentrosymmetric zinc fluoride hydrate, ZnF2(H2O)4, was synthesized by a hydrothermal method. It crystallizes in the polar space group of Pca21. The compound consists of the central Zn2+ combined with F- and coordination water to form the [ZnF2(H2O)4] octahedra, and each octahedron is isolated from each other to form a 0-dimensional structure. As an acentric compound, ZnF2(H2O)4 shows a phase-matchable second-harmonic-generation (SHG) activity with an intensity about 0.5 times that of KH2PO4. More attractively, it also shows a short ultraviolet cutoff edge below 200 nm, which is rare in reported halide hydrate systems. Interestingly, from ZnF2 to ZnF2(H2O)4, the partial substitution of the coordinated F atoms by H2O molecules leads to the structural transformation from centric to acentric with SHG activity off to on. Structural analyses, NLO activity, and theoretical calculations are presented in this work.
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Low-dimensional crystalline materials have attracted much attention due to their special physical and chemical properties. Herein, two new oxalate chlorides, C(NH2)3Cd(C2O4)Cl(H2O)·H2O and BaCd(C2O4)1.5Cl(H2O)2, were synthesized. C(NH2)3Cd(C2O4)Cl(H2O)·H2O presents the unique {[Cd(C2O4)Cl(H2O)]-}∞ zigzag chain, while BaCd(C2O4)1.5Cl(H2O)2 shows a novel {[Cd(C2O4)1.5Cl]2-}∞ layer. They showed large measured band gaps, which were 3.76 and 4.53 eV, respectively, and the latter was the largest band gap in the A-M-C2O4-X (A = Monovalent cationic or alkaline earth metals, X = F, Cl, Br, I) family. They exhibit a large calculated birefringence of 0.075 and 0.096 at 1064 nm, respectively. This study promotes the exploration of synthesizing low-dimensional crystalline materials with balanced overall optical performances by a chemical scissors strategy.
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Chiral organic-inorganic hybrid metal halides are a promising class of nonlinear-optical materials with unique optical properties and flexible crystal structures. However, the structures and properties of chiral hybrid tellurium halides, especially second harmonic generation (SHG), have not been reported. Here, by introducing chiral organic molecule (R/S)-methylbenzylammonium (R/S-MBA), we synthesized a pair of novel zero-dimensional (0D) chiral tellurium-based hybrid halides with noncentrosymmetric space group C2, (R/S-MBA)2TeCl6 (R/S-Cl). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and solid-state circular dichroism (CD) spectra confirm that R/S-Cl shows obvious enantiomer enrichment. Moreover, the resulting chiral products present an efficient SHG response. Interestingly, through manipulation of halogen atoms, two pairs of achiral tellurium halides, (R/S-MBA)2TeBr6 (R/S-Br) and (R/S-MBA)2TeI6 (R/S-I), were obtained, both of which crystallize in the centrosymmetric space group R3Ì . It is noteworthy that R/S-I has a narrow band gap of 1.55 eV, which is smaller than that of most 0D metal halides and comparable to that of three-dimensional lead halide, showing its potential as a highly efficient light absorber.
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Perovskite structure compounds are significant candidates for designing new optical function materials due to their structural variability. Here, an inorganic tetravalent cerium fluoride, Na2 CeF6 , is derived from the perovskite structure through double-site cation co-substitution. Na2 CeF6 crystalizes in the non-centrosymmetric space group P 6 ¯ 2 m ${P}^{\bar{6}}2m$ . Edge-sharing connected NaF9 and CeF9 polyhedra build the whole 3D structure of Na2 CeF6 . Importantly, it represents the first Ce(IV) fluoride nonlinear optical (NLO) crystal and can produce a strong and phase-matchable second-harmonic generation (SHG) effect of ≈2.1 times that of KH2 PO4 (KDP), making it the strongest among non-lone pair electron metal fluoride system. Further, it exhibits a high laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of 74.65-76.25 MW cm-2 , which is over 20 times that of AgGaS2 . It also exhibits a wide transparent region (0.5-14.3 µm). This work provides a facile route for exploring high-performance halide NLO materials.
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Herein, we successfully synthesized a stable copper iodide hybrid with a 0D structure, (C20H20P)2Cu2I4, in which [Cu2I4]2- dimers with a short Cu-Cu distance (2.64 Å) are isolated and surrounded by [C20H20P]+ organic cations. Bright broadband yellow emission (576 nm) featuring a wide excitation range from 240 to 450 nm was achieved, along with a large Stokes shift (211 nm), long-lived lifetime (1.99 µs), and zero self-absorption. The results combined with crystal structure, spectroscopy analysis, and theoretical studies reveal that a cluster-centered excited state is responsible for this yellow emission. Importantly, the structure of (C20H20P)2Cu2I4 remains unchanged even after soaking in water for 30 days or heating at 80 °C for 240 h due to the intermolecular interaction. Furthermore, a stable white LED showing a naturally correlated color temperature (CCT) of 6573 K and CIE color coordinate of (0.31, 0.37) was also demonstrated. This work demonstrates efficient light emitters based on lead-free and stable metal halides for lighting, providing an important reference for the development of stable, high-performance metal halide phosphors.