Photoluminescent Thermal Response Regulation in Zinc Metal Halide Materials Through Sn 2+ Alloying‐Induced Carrier Localization for Visualization‐Enabled Temperature Sensor

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Authors: Liyang Tang, Yue Wang, Mingyuan Gao, Ping Jin, Jinsu Zhang, Yongze Cao, X K Zhang, Xiangping Li, Hongquan Yu, Sai Xu, Chuang Wang, Ge Zhu
+1 more B Q Chen
Cited by: 1
References: 66

Abstract

ABSTRACT Zero‐dimensional (0D) metal halides have garnered unprecedented research interest in sensing, anti‐counterfeiting, light‐emitting diodes, and other cutting‐edge fields, owing to their unique crystal structures and exceptional optical properties. However, substantial challenges still remain in elucidating their luminescent mechanisms and precisely regulating their optoelectronic properties. Herein, we design and synthesize a 0D metal halide temperature‐sensing material, Rb 2 (Zn,Sn)Cl 4 , which features stable sensing sensitivity and distinct temperature‐visualization capability. The host Rb 2 ZnCl 4 exhibits defect‐related blue photoluminescence under ultraviolet excitation. Alloying with Sn 2+ not only induces temperature‐sensitive broadband orange emission originating from self‐trapped exciton (STE) recombination but also remarkably enhances the thermal stability of defect‐derived luminescence. Combined analysis of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and temperature‐dependent luminescence decay curves verifies that Sn 2+ doping reinforces the electron localization at the conduction band bottom, which effectively suppresses the migration of excited electrons to luminescence‐quenching centers. This material displays a distinct color transition from orange to blue with increasing temperature and maintains a high and stable relative sensitivity (S R ) of over 1.26% K −1 in the range of 20°C–100°C. These characteristics endow Rb 2 ZnCl 4 :Sn 2+ with great application potential in the field of optical temperature sensing.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Gas Sensing Nanomaterials and Sensors Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials Nanomaterials and Printing Technologies

Publication details

Journal / source
Small
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
22
Issue
38
Pages
e73787–e73787
Publication date
14 May 2026
Language
EN