Inversion symmetry broken 2D SnP₂S₆ with strong nonlinear optical response

Nowadays, realizing miniaturized nonlinear optical (NLO) device is crucial to meet the growing needs in on-chip nanophotonics as well as compact integrated devices. The strong optical nonlinearities, ultrafast photoexcitation dynamics, available exciton effects as well as without lattice matching make two-dimensional (2D) layered materials potential candidates for integrated and nano-scale NLO devices. Herein, a novel and inversion symmetry broken 2D layered SnP₂S₆ with strong second-harmonic and third-harmonic response has been reported for the first time. The second-order susceptibility (χ⁽²⁾) of SnP₂S₆ flakes can reach up to 4.06 × 10⁻⁹ m·V⁻¹ under 810 nm excitation wavelength, which is around 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than that of most reported 2D materials. In addition, the NLO response of 2D SnP₂S₆ can break through the limitation of odd/even layers and exhibit broadband spectral response. Moreover, since the second-harmonic signal is closely related to structure variation, the second-harmonic response in 2D SnP₂S₆ is extremely sensitive to polarization angle and temperature, which is beneficial to some specific applications. The excellent NLO response in 2D SnP₂S₆ provides a new arena for realizing miniaturized NLO devices in the future.