Zero-Dimensional Cuprous Iodide Clusters with Near-Unity PLQYs for White Lighting

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid-State Chemistry
• Photophysics

Background:

• Low-dimensional cuprous halides are explored for phosphors due to broadband emissions and exciton confinement.
• Developing efficient and tunable light-emitting materials is crucial for advanced display and lighting technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and optically characterize novel zero-dimensional (0D) cuprous iodide clusters.
• To investigate the potential of these clusters as high-performance phosphors for tunable white light emission.

Main Methods:

• Facile one-pot synthesis of (C11H9NO)4Cu2I2 and (C11H9NO)4Cu4I4 clusters.
• Comprehensive photophysical analysis including emission spectra and quantum yield measurements.
• Stoichiometric control to create biphasic clusters for white light generation.

Main Results:

• Synthesized 0D [Cu2I2] rhomboid dimers and [Cu4I4] cubane tetramers.
• Demonstrated independent blue and yellow emission centers with large Stokes shifts and high photoluminescence quantum yields (>100 nm).
• Achieved tunable white light emission by controlling the ratio of biphasic cuprous iodide clusters.

Conclusions:

• 0D cuprous iodide clusters exhibit excellent luminescent properties suitable for phosphor applications.
• Ligand-to-core charge transfer facilitates efficient light emission in these isolated clusters.
• Rational structural and compositional engineering of 0D cuprous iodide clusters offers a viable route for developing high-performance white light-emitting phosphors.