Sb3+/Sm3+ Codoped Cs2NaScCl6 All-Inorganic Double Perovskite: Blue Emission of Self-Trapped Excitons and Red-Emission via Energy Transfer

The lead-free halide perovskites possess nontoxicity and excellent chemical stability, whereas relatively weak luminescence intensity limits their potential in practical applications. Therefore, strengthening the luminescence intensity and expanding application fields are urgent tasks for the development of lead-free halide perovskites. In this paper, antimony-doped Cs2NaScCl6 crystals synthesized by a solvothermal method emit bright, deep blue photoluminescence at 447 nm. The photoluminescence (PL), photoluminescence excitation (PLE), and absorption spectra demonstrate that Sb3+ doping effectively activate the intrinsic “dark self-trapped exciton (STE),” leading to an impressive photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) value of 78.31% for 1% Sb3+ doping. Furthermore, the luminescence intensity remains above 92% compared with the fresh sample without secondary phases detected even after 90 days under environmental conditions. To expand the emission spectra, rare-earth Sm3+ is further incorporated into Cs2NaScCl6:1% Sb3+ crystals. The results show that Sb ions not only enhance intrinsic STE luminescence but also serve as sensitizers to boost the red-light emission of Sm3+, leading to a significant 500-fold increase in red emission intensity. Finally, the PLQY reaches a stunning 86.78%. These findings provide valuable insights in the design of Sb ion-doped lead-free double perovskites, broadening the application fields in various optoelectronic devices.