The Rb7Bi3−3xSb3xCl16 Family: A Fully Inorganic Solid Solution with Room‐Temperature Luminescent Members

Abstract

Low‐dimensional ns2‐metal halide compounds have received immense attention for applications in solid‐state lighting, optical thermometry and thermography, and scintillation. However, these are based primarily on the combination of organic cations with toxic Pb2+ or unstable Sn2+, and a stable inorganic luminescent material has yet to be found. Here, the zero‐dimensional Rb7Sb3Cl16 phase, comprised of isolated [SbCl6]3− octahedra and edge‐sharing [Sb2Cl10]4− dimers, shows room‐temperature photoluminescence (RT PL) centered at 560 nm with a quantum yield of 3.8±0.2 % at 296 K (99.4 % at 77 K). The temperature‐dependent PL lifetime rivals that of previous low‐dimensional materials with a specific temperature sensitivity above 0.06 K−1 at RT, making it an excellent thermometric material. Utilizing both DFT and chemical substitution with Bi3+ in the Rb7Bi3−3xSb3xCl16 (x≤1) family, we present the edge‐shared [Sb2Cl10]4− dimer as a design principle for Sb‐based luminescent materials.