ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS.27 April 2023.https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202300218

Organic–inorganic metal halides (OIMHs) with high-efficiency solar spectrum-like emission are attracting broad and current interest. Here, five 0D Zn-based hybrid halides are synthesized based on aromatic organic cations with different carbon-chain lengths: C₆H₅CH₂NH₃⁺ (PMA⁺) and C₆H₅(CH₂)₄NH₃⁺ (PBA⁺). (PMA)₂ZnCl₄ exhibits the highest photoluminescence quantum yield of 37.2% of reported Zn-based white-emission OIMHs. The emission spectrum of (PBA)₂ZnI₄ indicates a color rendering index of 98, which is the highest among single-component white-light-emitting phosphors. Spectral characterizations and density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the extremely broad emission of (PBA)₂ZnI₄ originates from the synergistic emission of organic cations and self-trapped excitons. The optical properties of the obtained (PMA)₂ZnBr₄, (PMA)₂ZnI₄·H₂O, and (PBA)₂ZnCl₄ are also characterized for comparison, and with the same organic cations, the PLQY decreases from chloride to bromide to iodide. This work demonstrates that the selection of appropriate organics and halogens can enable fine tuning of single-component white-light emission, satisfying varying needs for solid-state lighting.