Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation

    Design rules for optimizing quaternary mixed-metal chalcohalides

    Pascal Henkel

    Jingrui Li

    Patrick Rinke*

    • Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, P.O. Box 11000, FI-00076 AALTO, Finland

    • State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering; Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education; and School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China

    • Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany; Atomistic Modelling Center, Munich Data Science Institute, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany; Munich Data Science Institute, Technical University of Munich, 80333 Munich, Germany; and Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, P.O. Box 11000, FI-00076 AALTO, Finland

    • *Contact author: patrick.rinke@tum.de

    Phys. Rev. Materials 9, 115405 – Published 13 November, 2025

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/qjwt-29w9

    Abstract

    Quaternary mixed-metal M(II)2M(III)Ch2X3 chalcohalides are an emerging material class for photovoltaic absorbers that combines the beneficial optoelectronic properties of lead-based halide perovskites with the stability of metal chalcogenides. Inspired by the recent discovery of lead-free mixed-metal chalcohalides (MMCHs) materials, we utilized a combination of density functional theory and machine learning to determine compositional trends and chemical design rules in the lead-free and lead-based materials spaces. We explored a total of 54 M(II)2M(III)Ch2X3 materials with M(II) = Sn, Pb; M(III) = In, Sb, Bi; Ch = S, Se, Te; and X = Cl, Br, I per phase (Cmcm, Cmc21, and P21/c). The P21/c phase is the equilibrium phase at low temperatures, followed by Cmc21 and Cmcm. The fundamental band gaps in Cmcm and Cmc21 are smaller than those in P21/c, but direct band gaps are more common in Cmcm and Cmc21. The effective electron masses in P21/c are significantly larger than in Cmcm and Cmc21, while the effective hole masses are nearly the same across all three phases. Using random forest regression, we found that the two electron acceptor sites [Ch and X] are crucial in shaping the properties of MMCH compounds. Furthermore, the electron donor sites [M(II) and M(III)] can be used to fine-tune the material properties to desired applications. These design rules enable precise tailoring of MMCH compounds for a variety of applications.

    Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

    Collections

    This article appears in the following collection:

    Machine Learning for Materials Discovery and Understanding

    The Editors of Physical Review Materials are pleased to present the Collection on Machine Learning for Materials Discovery and Understanding, highlighting cutting-edge advances in machine learning method development and applications for materials discovery and fundamental understanding of the structure-property-function relationship. The Collection is being guest-edited by Deyu Lu of Brookhaven National Laboratory (USA) and Jinlan Wang of Southeast University (China). Every article published in this collection underwent a rigorous peer review process, adhering to the same high standards applied to all papers. The Physical Review Materials editorial team managed the peer review and made all editorial decisions.

    Authorization Required

    We need you to provide your credentials before accessing this content.

    Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

    References (Subscription Required)

    Outline

    Information

    Sign In to Your Journals Account

    Filter

    Filter

    Article Lookup

    Enter a citation