A Double Perovskite Single Crystal CsCuAgI₃

Eco-friendly halide double perovskites are attracting significant attention as potential substitutes for traditional lead-based halide perovskites. However, their typically wide or indirect band gap limits further technological advancement. This study presents a new, eco-friendly, all-inorganic millimeter-scale CsCuAgI3 single crystal (SC). The crystal exhibits a direct band gap of 2.02 eV at the G-point, markedly superior to that of traditional double perovskites. The absorption and photoluminescence spectra further corroborate its band gap attributes. Owing to the B-site Cu–Ag disorder, the crystal possesses a higher Urbach energy (119 meV), indicative of structural disorder. CsCuAgI3 exhibits a wide Stokes shift of 230 nm, a wide full width at half-maximum (fwhm) of 152 nm, a long fluorescence lifetime of 7.29 μs, and excellent stability. In addition, a photoelectric detection prototype was prepared using a CsCuAgI3 single crystal. Using a 375 nm laser as the excitation source, the device showed a very sensitive photoelectric response, clocking in at (0.37/0.21) seconds. This work offers new insights into developing novel lead-free double perovskite single crystals and exploring their potential applications.