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Hybrid n = 1 Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites with aromatic ammonium cations like benzylammonium (BzA) and phenethylammonium (PEA) have been shown to adopt polar structures and exhibit ferroelectricity, but many of the examples discovered thus far contain either Pb or Cd. Here, we describe the synthesis and structural characteriza-tion of four layered halide double perovskites: (BzA)4AgBiBr8, (PEA)4AgBiBr8, (BzA)4AgInCl8, and (PEA)4AgInCl8. In all four compounds the inorganic layers exhibit a chessboard ordering of Ag+ and Bi3+/In3+ and the layers stack in a coherent pattern that maintains the ordering over three-dimensional space. The octahedra sur-rounding Ag+ show a large axial compression, which results in much shorter bonds to the terminal halide ions than to the bridging halide ions, whereas the bismuth- and indium-centered octahedra show only small distortions. There appears to be a competition between polar distortions of the octahedra and octahedral tilting, both of which can optimize hydrogen bonding interactions between the ammonium cations and the inorganic layers. Unlike the Pb- or Cd-containing analogs, the double perovskites seem to favor patterns of octahedral tilting that suppress po-lar ordering of the organic cations. The packing of the organic cations depends on both their conformational flexi-bility and the lateral dimensions of the inorganic layer. These forces favor intra-layer edge-to-face interaction be-tween aromatic rings in the three of the four compounds. The lone exception is (PEA)4AgBiBr8, which forms weak inter-layer edge-to-face interactions between aromatic rings and slip-stacked packing within each organic layer.
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This content will become publicly available on November 26, 2025
Effects of A-Site Cation Structure on the Stability of 2D Tin Halide Perovskites
Not AvailableTwo-dimensional halide perovskites (2D-HPs) are of significant interest for their applications in optoelectronic devices. Part of this increased interest in 2D-HPs stems from their increased stability relative to their 3D counterparts. Here, the origin of higher stability in 2D-HPs is mainly attributed to the bulky ammonium cation layers, which can act as a blocking layer against moisture and oxygen ingression and ion diffusion. While 2D-HPs have demonstrated increased stability, it is not clear how the structure of the ammonium ion impacts the material stability. Herein, we investigate how the structure of ammonium cations, including three n-alkyl ammoniums, phenethylammonium (PEA) and five PEA derivatives, anilinium (An), benzylammonium (BzA), and cyclohexylmethyl ammonium (CHMA), affects the crystal structure and air, water, and oxygen stability of 2D tin halide perovskites (2D-SnHPs). We find that stability is influenced by several factors, including the molecular packing and intermolecular interactions in the organic layer, steric effects around the ammonium group, the orientation distribution of the 2D sheets, and the hydrophobicity of the perovskite film surface. With superior hydrophobicity, strong interactions between organic layers, and a high extent of parallel oriented inorganic sheets, the 2-(4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-ethylammonium (4-TFMPEA) ion forms the most stable 2D-SnHP among the 12 ammonium cations investigated.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2102257
- PAR ID:
- 10643648
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Chemical Society
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Chemistry of Materials
- Volume:
- 36
- Issue:
- 22
- ISSN:
- 0897-4756
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 11004 to 11014
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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