Alkyl-Aryl Cation Mixing in Chiral 2D Perovskites

We report 2D hybrid perovskites comprising a blend of chiral arylammonium and achiral alkylammonium spacer cations (1:1 mole ratio). These new perovskites feature an unprecedented combination of chirality and alkyl-aryl functionality alongside noncovalent intermolecular interactions (e.g., CH center dot center dot center dot pi interactions), determined by their crystal structures. The mixed-cation perovskites exhibit a circular dichroism that is markedly different from the purely chiral cation analogues, offering new avenues to tune the chiroptical properties of known chiral perovskites, instead of solely relying on otherwise complex chemical syntheses of new useable chiral cations. Further, the ability to dilute the density of chiral cations by mixing with achiral cations may offer a potential way to tailor the spin-based properties in 2D hybrid perovskites, such as Rashba-Dresselhaus spin splitting and chirality-induced spin selectivity and magnetization effects.

Automated summary

The study presents a new type of 2D hybrid perovskites with a unique combination of chirality and alkyl-aryl functionality, determined by noncovalent intermolecular interactions in their crystal structures. The mixed-cation perovskites exhibit a circular dichroism distinct from purely chiral cation analogues, providing a new avenue for tuning the chiroptical properties of known chiral perovskites. Mixing chiral cations with achiral cations may offer a potential way to tailor the spin-based properties in 2D hybrid perovskites.