Broadband Near-Infrared Emission from 0D Hybrid Copper Halides

Metal halides have attracted increasing attention owing to their outstanding optoelectronic properties and tunable emission characteristics. Among these, low-dimensional metal halides have emerged as a novel and efficient luminescent material, primarily attributed to their broad spectral emission induced by self-trapped excitons (STEs). However, achieving highly efficient deep red and near-infrared (NIR) emission in metal halides remains a challenge. In this study, we report a novel zero-dimensional (0D) copper-based metal halide [Na-2(DMSO)(8)]Cu4Br6 as the NIR light source, which exhibits a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 195 nm peaking at 685 nm, an impressive quantum efficiency of 68% and a large Stokes shift of 299 nm. Through comprehensive spectral analysis and meticulous data calculations, we substantiate that the emission originates from STEs formed within the 0D structure. Furthermore, we demonstrate the potential application of [Na-2(DMSO)8]Cu4Br6 as an invisible light source in night vision by combining it with a commercially available 365 nm ultraviolet (UV) chip. This work not only enriches the family of low-dimensional metal halide materials but also inspires the potential of low-dimensional metal halides in night vision applications.