Tunable optoelectronic response multifunctional materials: exploring switching and photoluminescence integrated in flexible thin films/crystals

The research on multifunctional response materials has been rapidly increasing with the boom of the Information Age, due to their attractive applications in various smart devices. However, the design and regulation of multifunctional response materials by structural adjustments are still facing enormous challenges. Here, we report two organic–inorganic hybrids (IPTMA)2CdBr4 and (IPTMA)2MnBr4 (IPTMA = isopropyl-trimethylammonium), which exhibit excellent switchable dielectric response upon exposure to a thermal stimulus. It is considered that the changes in the metal skeletons by replacing Cd with Mn result in different functional characteristics for the two hybrids. Moreover, (IPTMA)2MnBr4 shows highly efficient green-light emission with a high quantum yield of 52.6%, and further shows another, optical response, which makes it a potential candidate for application in smart response devices. This work would offer a new perspective on the effective design of multifunctional response materials.