Zero‐Dimensional Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Zinc Halides for Multiple Applications in Anti‐Counterfeiting, X‐Ray Imaging and White LEDs.

Zinc halides have been less explored even though they are a promising lead‐free family with the merits of environmental friendliness and low cost. Here, the organic–inorganic hybrid zinc halides are screened with aromatic molecules containing amino groups (MXDA: m‐Xylylenediamine, ABI: 2‐Aminobenzimidazole, pipda: 2‐piperidylmethylamine, p‐MPEA: p‐Methylphenethylamine), and six new compounds are discovered: (MXDA)ZnCl4 (1), (ABI)2ZnCl4 (2), (pipda)2H2OZnCl2 (3), [(pipda)4Zn2Br4]·H2O (4), (p‐MPEA)2ZnCl4 (5), and (p‐MPEA)2ZnBr4 (6). The discovered compounds exhibit diverse efficient light emissions (blue, green, yellow, and ultraviolet) under ultraviolet light irradiation. By doping Sb and Mn at the Zn site, (MXDA)ZnCl4 exhibits different colors of light under excitation light of different wavelengths, so it is successfully used for anti‐counterfeiting. (MXDA)Zn0.91Mn0.09Cl4 is also found to be an efficient X‐ray scintillator for X‐ray imaging. Among the as‐explored new phases, a maximum photoluminescent quantum yield of 82.60% is realized, enabling the utilization for white light‐emitting diodes. The results suggest that the zinc halides are a new lead‐free family with superior optoelectronic properties, which can be used for multiple applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]