CVD-Synthesized CsAg2I3 Single Crystals toward Polarization UV Photodetection and Anti-Counterfeiting Identification

Low-dimensional ternary silver halide (CsAg 2 I 3 ), an emerging inorganic lead-free perovskite, has garnered significant scientific attention due to its strong quantum confinement effects, wide bandgaps, non-toxicity, and others. However, the photophysical properties and optoelectronic performance of CsAg 2 I 3 materials and devices are significantly compromised by crystal quality and defects arising from liquid-phase preparation. Herein, 1D CsAg 2 I 3 single crystals newly grown by the chemical vapor deposition method are reported. These crystals display exceptional quality and stability over a 3-month period despite exposure to air and moisture. The high in-plane anisotropic structure, phonon vibrations, and refractive index of CsAg 2 I 3 crystals are also experimentally elucidated. Polarization-sensitive ultraviolet photodetector based on the CsAg 2 I 3 monocrystal features a responsivity of 139  mA W −1 , a specific detectivity of 1.05 × 10 11 cm Hz 1/2 W −1 , an ultra-fast photoresponse speed of 48.2/69.1 µs, and a dichroic ratio of 2.66 upon 360 nm irradiation at −5.0 V bias. The photodetector excels amongst its competitors, moving toward the potential application of rapid optical anti-counterfeiting identification. This work, which leverages grown high-crystalline and highly stable CsAg 2 I 3 monocrystals, holds promises for advancing this functional material into a robust next-generation optoelectronic devices capable of probing sensitive optical sensing and specific azimuth recognition.