The hybrid two-dimensional (2D) halide perovskites have recently drawn significant interest because they can serve as excellent photoabsorbers in perovskite solar cells. Here we present the large scale synthesis, crystal structure, and optical characterization of the 2D (CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 NH 3 ) 2 (CH 3 NH 3 ) n−1 Pb n I 3n+1 (n = 1, 2, 3, 4, ∞) perovskites, a family of layered compounds with tunable semiconductor characteristics. These materials consist of well-defined inorganic perovskite layers intercalated with bulky butylammonium cations that act as spacers between these fragments, adopting the crystal structure of the Ruddlesden−Popper type. We find that the perovskite thickness (n) can be synthetically controlled by adjusting the ratio between the spacer cation and the small organic cation, thus allowing the isolation of compounds in pure form and large scale. The orthorhombic crystal structures of (CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 NH 3 ) 2 (CH 3 NH 3 )-Pb 2 I 7 (n = 2, Cc2m; a = 8.9470(4), b = 39.347(2) Å, c = 8.8589(6)), (CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 NH 3 ) 2 (CH 3 NH 3 ) 2 Pb 3 I 10 (n = 3, C2cb; a = 8.9275( 6), b = 51.959(4) Å, c = 8.8777(6)), and (CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 NH 3 ) 2 (CH 3 NH 3 ) 3 Pb 4 I 13 (n = 4, Cc2m; a = 8.9274(4), b = 64.383(4) Å, c = 8.8816(4)) have been solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and are reported here for the first time. The compounds are noncentrosymmetric, as supported by measurements of the nonlinear optical properties of the compounds and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The band gaps of the series change progressively between 2.43 eV for the n = 1 member to 1.50 eV for the n = ∞ adopting intermediate values of 2.17 eV (n = 2), 2.03 eV (n = 3), and 1.91 eV (n = 4) for those between the two compositional extrema. DFT calculations confirm this experimental trend and predict a direct band gap for all the members of the Ruddlesden− Popper series. The estimated effective masses have values of m h = 0.14 m 0 and m e = 0.08 m 0 for holes and electrons, respectively, and are found to be nearly composition independent. The band gaps of higher n members indicate that these compounds can be used as efficient light absorbers in solar cells, which offer better solution processability and good environmental stability. The compounds exhibit intense room-temperature photoluminescence with emission wavelengths consistent with their energy gaps, 2.35 eV (n = 1), 2.12 eV (n = 2), 2.01 eV (n = 3), and 1.90 eV (n = 4) and point to their potential use in light-emitting diodes. In addition, owing to the low dimensionality and the difference in dielectric properties between the organic spacers and the inorganic perovskite layers, these compounds are naturally occurring multiple quantum well structures, which give rise to stable excitons at room temperature.

During the last century, inorganic oxide compounds laid foundations for materials synthesis, characterization, and technology translation by adding new functions into devices previously dominated by main-group element semiconductor compounds. Today, compounds with multiple anions beyond the single-oxide ion, such as oxyhalides and oxyhydrides, offer a new materials platform from which superior functionality may arise. Here we review the recent progress, status, and future prospects and challenges facing the development and deployment of mixed-anion compounds, focusing mainly on oxide-derived materials. We devote attention to the crucial roles that multiple anions play during synthesis, characterization, and in the physical properties of these materials. We discuss the opportunities enabled by recent advances in synthetic approaches for design of both local and overall structure, state-of-the-art characterization techniques to distinguish unique structural and chemical states, and chemical/physical properties emerging from the synergy of multiple anions for catalysis, energy conversion, and electronic materials.

This article reviews static and dynamic interfacial effects in magnetism, focusing on interfacially-driven magnetic effects and phenomena associated with spin-orbit coupling and intrinsic symmetry breaking at interfaces. It provides a historical background and literature survey, but focuses on recent progress, identifying the most exciting new scientific results and pointing to promising future research directions. It starts with an introduction and overview of how basic magnetic properties are affected by interfaces, then turns to a discussion of charge and spin transport through and near interfaces and how these can be used to control the properties of the magnetic layer. Important concepts include spin accumulation, spin currents, spin transfer torque, and spin pumping. An overview is provided to the current state of knowledge and existing review literature on interfacial effects such as exchange bias, exchange spring magnets, spin Hall effect, oxide heterostructures, and topological insulators. The article highlights recent discoveries of interface-induced magnetism and non-collinear spin textures, non-linear dynamics including spin torque transfer and magnetization reversal induced by interfaces, and interfacial effects in ultrafast magnetization processes.

The interaction between the transition metal 3d and the oxygen 2p states via hybridization underpins many of the phenomena in transition metal oxide materials. We report the empirical trend of this interaction using the pre-edge feature of the O Kedge X-ray absorption spectrum. Our assessment method is built on the dipole approximation and the configuration interaction between the transition metal 3d and the oxygen 2p states. We found that hybridization increases with the number of 3d electrons, consistent with the expected electronegativity trend. We support this analysis with density functional calculations, which reveal a systematic increase in the transition metal 3d and the oxygen 2p state mixing with increasing 3d-electron number. Oxidation of the transition metal was also found to increase hybridization, which we believe reflects the reduced transition metal 3d and oxygen 2p energy difference, causing increased covalency. We compare the analysis from the surface-sensitive electron-yield and the bulk-sensitive fluorescence-yield spectra, revealing that either method can be used to study the hybridization trend. We finally compare and discuss the influence of the lanthanide ions and the influence of the covalency on oxygen electrocatalysis. Our study describes an efficient and simple approach to understand the hybridization trend in transition metal oxides, which has considerable implications for electrochemical energy conversion processes.

Abstract