Negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistors feature
higher
sensitivities and faster response speeds and thereby have particular
applications in many fields. However, current NTC thermistors are
mostly based on inorganic ceramic materials, which show obvious drawbacks
in material synthesis, property modulation, and flexible film fabrication.
Herein, we report, for the first time, the promising application of
an inorganic–organic hybrid NTC thermistor. A new lead-free
hybrid iodo bismuthate [1,1′,1″-(benzene-1,3,5-triyl)tris(3-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium)]Bi2I9 [denoted as (Me3TMP)Bi2I9
] was synthesized
by a “double-free” strategy. (Me3TMP)Bi2I9
features a lead-free binuclear bismuth
iodine anion charge compensated by a “classic hydrogen-bond-free”
cation. (Me3TMP)Bi2I9
exhibits remarkable stability in water and UV light irradiation
and shows the largest temperature sensitivity coefficient among all
reported NTC materials. Theoretical calculation and detailed structural
analysis disclose that the seriously distorted (BiI6) octahedra
are responsible for the intriguing NTC effect for (Me3TMP)Bi2I9
.