Bulk Photovoltaic Effect Induced by Non-Covalent Interactions in Bilayered Hybrid Perovskite for Efficient Passive X-Ray Detection

Hydrogen bonding as a multifunctional tool has always influenced the structure of hybrid perovskites. Compared with the research on hydrogen bonding, the study of halogen-halogen interactions on the structure and properties of hybrid perovskites is still in its early stages. Herein, a polar bilayered hybrid perovskite (IEA) 2 FAPb 2 I 7 (IEA + is 2-iodoethyl-1-ammonium, FA is formamidinium) with iodine-substituted spacer is successfully constructed by changing the configuration of interlayer cations and regulating non-covalent interactions at the organic–inorganic interface, which shows a shorter interlayer spacing and higher density ( ρ = 3.862 g cm −3 ). The generation of structure polarity in (IEA) 2 FAPb 2 I 7 is caused by the synergistic effect of hydrogen bonding and halogen-halogen interactions. Especially, as the length of the carbon chain in organic cations decreases, the I---I interaction in the system gradually strengthens, which may be the main reason for the symmetry-breaking. Polarity-induced bulk photovoltaics ( V oc = 1.0 V) and higher density endow the device based on (I-EA) 2 FAPb 2 I 7 exhibit a high sensitivity of 175.6 µC Gy −1 cm −2 and an ultralow detection limit of 60.4 nGy s −1 at 0 V bias under X-ray irradiation. The results present a facile approach for designing polar multifunctional hybrid perovskites, also providing useful assistance for future research on halogen-halogen interactions.