Facile low-temperature solid-state synthesis of efficient blue-emitting Cs3Cu2I5 powder phosphors for solid-state lighting

The discovery of new environmentally friendly luminescent materials with high photoluminescence quantum yield and long-term stability is critical for future solid-state lighting and displays applications. Although lead halide perovskite materials with excellent optical properties have been extensively investigated in recent years because they hold tremendous promise in optoelectronic devices, the toxicity of lead and poor air-stability still hinder their commercial applications. Moreover, while substantial work has been done on three-dimensional (3D) perovskite halides, the zero-dimensional (0D) halide emitters with bright luminescence remain elusive. Herein we report a facile solid-state reaction method to prepare an efficient lead-free all-inorganic halide material with 0D structure, Cs3Cu2I5, with photoluminescence quantum yield up to 80%. Under ultraviolet excitation at 313 nm, the Cs3Cu2I5 powder phosphors show a strong blue photoluminescence emission with peak at 445 nm and CIE color coordinates of (0.1486, 0.0873). Notably, Cs3Cu2I5 exhibits good color stability at high temperatures and outstanding stability towards air exposure exceeding one month (30 days). These findings not only open up a door for the development of promising highly emissive low-dimensional halide materials for lighting and displays, but also offer a new scalable approach for the potential mass production of halide emitters.