The structural and electrical properties of a metal-halide cubic perovskite, CH(3)NH(3)SnI(3), have been examined. The band structure, obtained using first-principles calculation, reveals a well-defined band gap at the Fermi level. However, the temperature dependence of the single-crystal electrical conductivity shows metallic behavior down to low temperatures. The temperature dependence of the thermoelectric power is also metallic over the whole temperature range, and the large positive value indicates that charge transport occurs with a low concentration of hole carriers. The metallic properties of this as-grown crystal are thus suggested to result from spontaneous hole-doping in the crystallization process, rather than the semi-metal electronic structure. The present study shows that artificial hole doping indeed enhances the conductivity.

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A blue luminescent tetradecavanadate compound, [Et4N]5[V14O36Cl], has been synthesized. It possesses an unprecedented half-open basket framework. Through the {ABAB}-type stacking, the {V14O36} clusters form infinite one-dimensional channels with considerable accessible volume in the crystalline state.