High-Performance Photodetection of Quasi-Two-Dimensional Metal Halides for High-Pressure Environments Enabled by Anti-Wilson Effect.

Zhang, Chen-Yang; Wei, Rui; Wang, Xin; Wang, Yang; Meng, Yining; Wang, Yuqing; Ma, Ying-Li; Lei, Jin-Cheng et al. · Adv Mater · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Photodetectors are crucial for information acquisition in extreme high-pressure environments. However, their performance is often limited by increased dark current and a reduced on/off ratio during compression. Here, we report a photodetector under high-pressure based on EA<sub>2</sub>MA<sub>2</sub>Pb<sub>3</sub>Br<sub>10</sub>. Benefiting from anti-Wilson effect, the device achieves a two-order-of-magnitude suppression of dark current and a continuously improved on/off ratio under compression. At 23.6 GPa, it exhibits a responsivity of 1462.8 A W<sup>-</sup> <sup>1</sup>, the highest value yet reported for photodetectors under high-pressure, together with an external quantum efficiency of 4.9 × 10<sup>5</sup>% and a detectivity of 6.1 × 10<sup>13</sup> Jones. Further studies reveal that pressure-induced Pb-Br octahedral distortion drives the anti-Wilson effect, while enhanced polarization increases the self-powered photocurrent to 200% of its original value at 24.0 GPa. These results provide a new strategy for designing high-performance self-powered photodetectors for extreme environments.