Dual emission and solvent-responsive color switching in an Sb3+/Mn2+-codoped 0D hybrid halide (C4H12N)2ZnCl4

Zero-dimensional (0D) organic-inorganic hybrid metal halides are promising for solid-state lighting and optical encryption because of their strong quantum confinement and structural versatility. However, achieving precise and independent regulation of multiple emissive channels in a single-component host remains challenging. Here, we report Sb 3+ /Mn 2+ -co-doped (C 4 H 12 N) 2 ZnCl 4 , which exhibits dual emission centered at 520 nm from Mn 2+ and 670 nm from Sb 3+ -associated self-trapped excitons under 365 nm excitation. The two bands show distinct decay lifetimes of 0.83 ms and 7.7 μs, respectively, consistent with independent emissive pathways. Importantly, the emission color reversibly changes from green to orange-red across a series of solvents with different polarities. Combined with the dual-band emission, this solvent-responsive behavior enables multichannel optical logic operations and information encryption. This work offers a route to multifunctional 0D hybrid halides featuring spectrally and kinetically differentiated emission channels.