Synthesis, Structure, and Optical Properties of a 0D Hybrid Organic–Inorganic Metal Halide (C₅N₂H₁₄Cl)GeCl₃

Abstract

Due to the flexible structural tunability and excellent photoelectric performance, hybrid organic-inorganic metal halides (OIMHs) have attracted intensive attention and become a hot topic in the field of materials. It is important and necessary to explore new OIMHs and study their structure-property relationship. In this work, a new lead-free OIMH, (C₅N₂H₁₄Cl)GeCl₃, is synthesized by the combination of hydrothermal and solution methods. This compound features a zero-dimensional structure composed of inorganic [GeCl₃]^- trigonal pyramids surrounded by isolated Cl^- anions and organic (C₅N₂H₁₄)²⁺ cations. Preliminary characterization and first-principles calculations are performed to study its basic optical properties. Interestingly, (C₅N₂H₁₄Cl)GeCl₃ shows weak blue emission under ultraviolet excitation, and the intrinsic mechanism is discussed.