Structural Transformation and Luminescence Switching of Hybrid Antimony Halides for Single-Component White Light and Encryption

Organic–inorganic metal halides (OIMHs) have attracted great attention for white light emission and also exhibited structural transformation-induced luminescence switching for encryption. However, it is still challenging to explore Sb-based halides for single-component white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) and to show fast phase transitions for anticounterfeiting. Herein, through unveiling the full potential of organic components, three Sb-based halide hybrids (TPP-HBtrz)SbCl5 ([TPP-Btrz]Cl = [(1H-Benzotriazol-1-yl)methyl]triphenylphosphonium chloride), (TPP-Btrz)2Sb2Cl8, and (TPP-HBtrz)SbBr5 were rapidly prepared. (TPP-HBtrz)SbCl5 exhibits white light emission benefiting from the combination of organic cation and self-trapped exciton (STE) emission of [SbCl5]2–. The WLED shows white light emission with CIE coordinates of (0.32, 0.34), a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 6130 K, and a color-rendering index (CRI) of 86. Moreover, the fast structural transformations among them are achieved when stimulated by ethanol or HCl solutions, leading to a multilevel encryption.