journal article·2026-05-10Open access

Effect of Alkyl Chain Length on the Bandgap, Ferroelectric, and Photoelectric Properties of Lead‐Based Molecular Ferroelectrics

Ganghua Zhang, Jinrong Wen, Ping Chen, Zhibo Chen, Pingying Tang, Dezeng Li, Jingshan Hou, Yongzheng Fang

Abstract

ABSTRACT 2D molecular ferroelectrics have attracted much attention due to their advantages such as low cost, easy processing, and structural tunability. However, the impacts of alkyl chain length on their bandgap, ferroelectric, and photoelectric properties remain unclear. Herein, we present a novel 2D molecular ferroelectric [C 6 N 2 H 18 ]PbI 4 with a P c polar monoclinic structure, a direct bandgap of 2.30 eV, a room‐temperature ferroelectricity with a maximum polarization ( P m ) of 3.5 µC cm −2 . Remarkable polarization‐enhanced photoelectric performance has been achieved, yielding a maximum V oc of ∼ 0.72 V and J sc of ∼ 5.62 µA cm −2 . The impacts of chain length of diverse alkylamines spacer cations on bandgap, ferroelectric, and photoelectric of the homologous APbI 4 system (A for 1,4‐diaminobutane, 1,6‐hexamethylenediamine, and 1,8‐diaminooctane) have been systematically investigated. The elongation of alkyl chain length induces a gradual decline in P m , while simultaneously expanding the optical bandgap and notably enhancing device stability. This work provides a new perspective for the performance optimization of 2D molecular ferroelectrics toward next‐generation optoelectronic devices.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Perovskite Materials and Applications · 2D Materials and Applications · Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

School of Materials Science and Engineering Shanghai Institute of Technology Shanghai P. R. China

School of Electric Engineering Shanghai Dianji University Shanghai P. R. China

Key Laboratory of New Electric Functional Materials of Guangxi Colleges and Universities Nanning Normal University Nanning Guangxi P. R. China

School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering East China Normal University Shanghai P. R. China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China

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