Citation: Shun-Shun Li, Kaifeng Wu, Pengfei Cheng. Recent progress in amorphous metal halides for optoelectronics[J]. Chinese Journal of Structural Chemistry, ;2026, 45(7): 100920. doi: 10.1016/j.cjsc.2026.100920 shu

Recent progress in amorphous metal halides for optoelectronics

Amorphous metal halides (AMHs) have recently emerged as a unique class of disordered materials that combine structural amorphousness with highly tunable optoelectronic properties, offering compelling advantages over their crystalline counterparts. This Review summarizes recent progress in extrinsic and intrinsic amorphization strategies, including composite integration, melt-quenching, and molecular design approaches. Emphasis is placed on the structural characteristics of AMHs, revealed by advanced characterization techniques, and on the role of local coordination disorder and dynamic bonding motifs in governing unconventional optical behaviors such as broadband emission and enhanced photostability. By integrating insights from thermal analysis, spectroscopy, and molecular simulations, key relationships among amorphization pathways, microstructure evolution, and functional performance are critically assessed. Finally, major challenges, particularly those related to operational stability and scalable processing, are discussed, and future research directions are proposed to advance AMHs toward practical applications in photonics, scintillation, and information storage. This Review highlights how the synergy between rational amorphization chemistry and the integration of advanced characterization with simulations can accelerate the transition of AMHs from laboratory-scale demonstrations to viable optoelectronic platforms.
- Amorphous materials,
- Metal halides,
- Polymeric metal halides,
- Glassy state
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