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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
08:01
Spectral and Angle-Resolved Magneto-Optical Characterization of Photonic Nanostructures
Published on: November 21, 2019
Jahn-Teller Effect Dominates the Left-Hand Rule: Magneto-Optics in Metal Halide Lattice
Weihao Wang1, Jia Jiang1, Weikang Zeng2
1School of Chemistry, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry For Biomedicine, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|July 21, 2026
Summary
Chiral preference in symmetric crystals emerges from a dynamic Jahn-Teller effect, not static asymmetry. This mechanism, driven by spin-orbit coupling, generates circularly polarized light and offers broad applications in hybrid metal halides.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Solid-State Physics
- Crystallography
Background:
- Molecular packing symmetry dictates crystalline properties.
- Asymmetry in hybrid metal-halides is typically induced via chiral cations or hydrogen bonding.
- Precise spatial control of asymmetry using stereochemical templating is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a novel mechanism for inducing asymmetry and chiral preference in highly symmetric metal-halide crystals.
- To investigate the role of the Jahn-Teller effect and spin-orbit coupling in symmetry breaking.
- To explore the generation of circularly polarized emission in these materials.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of DMA4InCl7:Sb3+ and DETABiCl6:Sb3+ single crystals.
- Characterization of crystal structure and electronic properties.
- Application of high magnetic fields (0-45 T) to study optical emission under varying conditions.
Main Results:
- Highly symmetric crystals exhibited a static Jahn-Teller effect coupled with spin-orbit interaction.
- Spontaneous symmetry lowering from O h to D 4h occurred in excited states, driven by the Jahn-Teller effect.
- A dominant left-circularly polarized emission (σ-) was observed under an external magnetic field.
- A highly effective g m value of up to 8.9×10−2 was achieved.
Conclusions:
- Chiral preference arises from a transient-state process amplified by the Jahn-Teller effect, rather than intrinsic lattice asymmetry.
- This mechanism provides a new route for designing chiral optoelectronic properties in hybrid metal halides.
- The findings are broadly applicable to d- and p-block metal-activated hybrid metal halides across various dimensionalities.
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