Hydrostatic pressure effect on excited state properties of room temperature phosphorescence molecules: A QM/MM study

Stimulus-responsive organic room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials exhibit variations in their luminescent characteristics (lifetime and efficiency) upon exposure to external stimuli, including force, heat, light and acid-base conditions, the development of stimulus-responsive RTP molecules becomes imperative. However, the inner responsive mechanism is unclear, theoretical investigations to reveal the relationship among hydrostatic pressures, molecular structures and photophysical properties are highly desired. Herein, taking the Se-containing RTP molecule (SeAN) as a model, based on the dispersion corrected density functional theory (DFT-D), the combined quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics (QM/MM) method and thermal vibration correlation function (TVCF) theory, the influences of hydrostatic pressure on molecular structures, transition properties as well as lifetimes and efficiencies of RTP molecule are theoretically studied. Results show that extended lifetime and enhanced efficiency are observed at 2 Gpa compared with molecule at normal pressure, and this is related with the small reorganization energy and large oscillator strength. Moreover, due to the small energy gap (0.34 eV) and remarkable spin-orbit coupling (SOC) constant (8.56 cm-1) between first singlet excited state and triplet state, fast intersystem crossing (ISC) process is determined for molecule at 6 Gpa. Furthermore, the intermolecular interactions are visualized using independent gradient model based on Hirshfeld partition (IGMH) and the changes of molecular packing modes, SOC values, lifetimes and efficiencies with pressures are detected. These results reveal the relationship between molecular structures and RTP properties. Our work provides theoretical insights into the hydrostatic pressure response mechanism and could promote the development new efficient stimulus-responsive molecules.

Metastable Supramolecular Assembly of Simple Monomers Enabled by Confinement: Towards Aqueous Phase Room Temperature Phosphorescence

The application of supramolecular assembly (SA) with room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) in aqueous phase has the potential to revolutionize numerous fields. However, using simple molecules with crystalline RTP to construct SA with aqueous phase RTP is hardly possible from the standpoint of forces. The reason lies in that the transition from crystal to SA involves a structure transformation from highly stable to more dynamic state, leading to increased non-radiative deactivation pathways and silent RTP signal. Here, with the benefit of the confinement from the layered double hydroxide (LDH), various simple molecules (benzene derivatives) can successfully form metastable SA with aqueous phase RTP. The maximum of RTP lifetime and efficiency can reach 654.87 ms and 5.02 %, respectively. Mechanistic studies reveal the LDH energy trap can strengthen the intermolecular interaction, providing the prerequisite for the existence of metastable SA and appearance of aqueous phase RTP. The universality of this strategy will usher exploration into other multifunctional monomer, facilitating the development of SAs with aqueous phase RTP.

Reversible switching from fluorescence to room temperature phosphorescence amplified by exciton-vibration coupling through pressure-induced tiny packing changes

Investigating the impact of exciton-vibration coupling (EC) of molecular aggregates on regulating the excited-state dynamics and controlling room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) emissions is crucial and challenging. We designed and synthesized ArBFO molecules and cultured two crystals with similar molecular packing and completely different luminescent mechanisms from B-form fluorescence to G-form RTP. The mechanism study combining measurement of photophysical properties, time-resolved fluorescence analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, and theoretical calculations shows that tiny changes in molecular stacking amplify the EC value from B-form to G-form H-aggregates. The larger EC value accelerates the ISC process and suppresses the radiative singlet decay. Meanwhile, the stronger intermolecular interaction restricts non-radiative transitions. All of these facilitate green RTP emission in G-form aggregates. When treated with pressure-heating cycles, the transformation between B-form and G-form aggregates leads to a reversible blue fluorescence/green RTP switch with good reproducibility and photostability. Moreover, their potential in multi-level information encryption and anti-counterfeiting application has been well demonstrated. The results of this research deepen the understanding of the effect of aggregation on the luminescence mechanism and provide a new design guidance for developing smart materials with good performance.

The photochemistry and photophysics of benzoyl-carbazole

Benzoyl-carbazole and its derivatives are considered a platform for exploring processes such as room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). They have also been reported to exhibit dual emission, but there is a great spectral variability in the relative intensity of the emission bands reported in different studies. To better understand the fundamental photophysical properties, we set to explore BCz and its perfluorinated derivative F5BCz using spectroscopy and quantum chemical simulations. We find that the reported dual fluorescence in solution and in films results from a photochemical process (photo-Fries rearrangement), producing carbazole among other products, explaining the variation in the reported emission spectra. In addition, BCz exhibits solvent dependent TADF, which is explained by the stabilization of the charge transfer S1 state in polar solvents. F5BCz undergoes an efficient photochemical process (Mallory reaction) from its single state to produce highly fluorescent product c-F5BCz, in 40% isolated yield. This photoreactivity also proceeds in films under ambient conditions, which have significant implications on the applications of BCz-based materials for optoelectronic applications.

Hierarchical Dual-Mode Efficient Tunable Afterglow via J-Aggregates in Single-Phosphor-Doped Polymer

The development of polymer-based persistent luminescence materials with color-tunable organic afterglow and multiple responses is highly desirable for applications in anti-counterfeiting, flexible displays, and data-storage. However, achieving efficient persistent luminescence from a single-phosphor system with multiple responses remains a challenging task. Herein, by doping 9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole (PI2) into an amorphous polyacrylamide matrix, a hierarchical dual-mode emission system is developed, which exhibits color-tunable afterglow due to excitation-, temperature-, and humidity-dependence. Notably, the coexistence of the isolated state and J-aggregate state of the guest molecule not only provides an excitation-dependent afterglow color, but also leads to a hierarchical temperature-dependent afterglow color resulting from different thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) and ultralong organic phosphorescence (UOP) behaviors of the isolated and aggregated states. The complex responsiveness based on the hierarchical dual-mode emission can serve for security features through inkjet printing and ink-writing. These findings may provide further insight into the regulated persistent luminescence by isolated and aggregated phosphors in doped polymer systems and expand the scope of stimuli-responsive organic afterglow materials for broader applications.

Delayed room temperature phosphorescence enabled by phosphines

Organic ultralong room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) usually emerges instantly and immediately decays after excitation removal. Here we report a new delayed RTP that is postponed by dozens of milliseconds after excitation removal and decays in two steps including an initial increase in intensity followed by subsequent decrease in intensity. The delayed RTP is achieved through introduction of phosphines into carbazole emitters. In contrast to the rapid energy transfer from single-molecular triplet states (T1) to stabilized triplet states (Tn*) of instant RTP systems, phosphine groups insert their intermediate states (TM) between carbazole-originated T1 and Tn* of carbazole-phosphine hybrids. In addition to markedly increasing emission lifetimes by ten folds, since TM → Tn* transition require >30 milliseconds, RTP is thereby postponed by dozens of milliseconds. The emission character of carbazole-phosphine hybrids can be used to reveal information through combining instant and delayed RTP, realizing multi-level time resolution for advanced information, biological and optoelectronic applications.

Unique Visualization Growth Process of Long-Lived Room Temperature Phosphorescence in Polymer System

Recently, embedding organic phosphors into the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix has emerged as a convenient strategy to obtain efficient long-lived room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) via forming strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds with organic phosphors to minimize nonradiative relaxations. Regrettably, it is discovered that PVA is unable to trigger RTP emission when a novel functional phosphor THBE containing six extended biphenyl formaldehyde arms is doped into PVA matrix. Surprisingly, the excellent long-lived RTP emission can be easily obtained by doping THBE into PVA analogs, poly(vinyl alcohol-co-ethylene) (PVA-co-PE). The unique visualization growth process (i.e., white streak generation) of long-lived RTP is observed by UV light-driven aggregation of functional molecules THBE in PVA-co-PE matrix. The phosphorescent intensity of the luminescent film is enhanced by 55 times, from 729 to 40,785 a.u., and its phosphorescence lifetime is increased by 38 times, from 37.08 to 1415.41 ms. Due to the dynamically reversible RTP performance, as well as the permeability, flexibility, and wrinkle-free properties of the luminescent film, it can be utilized to create cutting-edge information storage devices.

Non-adiabatic conformation distortion charge transfer enables dual emission of thermally activated delayed fluorescence and room temperature phosphorescence

In this work, we report for the first time that thiophenol-substituted naphthalimide can achieve thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) and room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) simultaneously through non-conjugated flexible connection. Herein, we explain that the enhancement of intersystem crossing (ISC) between the singlet excited state and triplet excited states in NISPh is mainly caused by the non-adiabatic conformation distortion charge transfer (CDCT) of the excited states. More precisely, CDCT results in the conformation matching and energy barrier decrease between the excited states. In addition, the electronic and vibration coupling is further enhanced in NISPh. Our work substantiates a rational design strategy for the development of simple purely organic materials to achieve dual emission of TADF and RTP.

Dynamic Room Temperature Phosphorescence of Silane-Functionalized Carbon Dots Confining within Silica for Anti-Counterfeiting Applications

Room temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials with long-lived, excitation-dependent, and time-dependent phosphorescence are highly desirable but very hard to achieve. Herein, this work reports a rational strategy of multiple wavelength excitation and time-dependent dynamic RTP color by confining silane-functionalized carbon dots (CDs) in a silica matrix (Si-CDs@SiO2). The Si-CDs@SiO2 possesses unique green-light-excitation and a change in phosphorescence color from yellow to green. A slow-decaying phosphorescence at 500 nm with a lifetime of 1.28 s and a fast-decaying phosphorescence at 580 nm with a lifetime of 0.90 s are observed under 365 nm of irradiation, which originated from multiple surface triplet states of the Si-CDs@SiO2. Given the unique dynamic RTP properties, the Si-CDs@SiO2 are demonstrated for applications in fingerprint recognition and multidimensional dynamic information encryption. These findings will open an avenue to explore dynamic phosphorescent materials and significantly broaden their applications.

Ground-State Orbital Descriptors for Accelerated Development of Organic Room-Temperature Phosphorescent Materials

Organic materials with room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) are in high demand for optoelectronics and bioelectronics. Developing RTP materials highly relies on expert experience and costly excited-state calculations. It is a challenge to find a tool for effectively screening RTP materials. Herein we first establish ground-state orbital descriptors (πFMOs ) derived from the π-electron component of the frontier molecular orbitals to characterize the RTP lifetime (τp ), achieving a balance in screening efficiency and accuracy. Using the πFMOs , a data-driven machine learning model gains a high accuracy in classifying long τp , filtering out 836 candidates with long-lived RTP from a virtual library of 19,295 molecules. With the aid of the excited-state calculations, 287 compounds are predicted with high RTP efficiency. Impressively, experiments further confirm the reliability of this workflow, opening a novel avenue for designing high-performance RTP materials for potential applications.

Time-Dependent Colorful Circularly Polarized Organic Ultralong Room Temperature Phosphorescence from a Single-Component Chiral Molecule

Colorful circularly polarized organic ultralong room temperature phosphorescence (CP-OURTP) materials have attracted much attention due to their superior optoelectronic properties for various applications. However, the development of colorful CP-OURTP materials in a single-component molecular system is currently facing great challenges. Herein, a feasible strategy is proposed to develop colorful CP-OURTP material from a single-component chiral molecule by introducing a chiral unit into the phosphorescence chromophore. A dual CP-OURTP band originated from inherent triplet excitons emission showing a lifetime of 946.44 ms and triplet-triplet annihilation induced delayed emission with a short lifetime of 209.91 ms as well as maximum asymmetry factors of ≈10-3 are realized. Owing to the changed OURTP intensity ratios between inherent CP-OURTP and delayed emission at different delayed times, time-dependent colorful CP-OURTP turned from yellow to green is obtained. This study provides a potential platform to prepare circularly polarized material systems showing colorful luminescent properties.

Color-Tunable, Excitation-Dependent, and Water Stimulus-Responsive Room-Temperature Phosphorescence Cellulose for Versatile Applications

Smart-response materials with ultralong room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) are highly desirable, but they have rarely been described, especially those originating from sustainable polymers. Herein, a variety of cellulose derivatives with 1,4-dihydropyridine (DHP) rings are synthesized through the Hantzsch reaction, giving impressive RTP with a long lifetime of up to 1251 ms. Specifically, the introduction of acetoacetyl groups and DHP rings promotes the spin-orbit coupling and intersystem crossing process; and multiple interactions between cellulose induce clustering and inhibit the nonradiative transitions, boosting long-live RTP. Furthermore, the resulting transparent and flexible cellulose films also exhibit excitation-dependent and color-tunable afterglows by introducing different extended aromatic groups. More interestingly, the RTP performance of these films is sensitive to water and can be repeated in response to wet/dry stimuli. Inspired by these advantages, the RTP cellulose demonstrates advanced applications in information encryption and anti-counterfeiting. This work not only enriches the photophysical properties of cellulose but also provides a versatile platform for the development of sustainable afterglows.

Mild Synthesis of Polychlorinated Arenes for Efficient Organic Light-emitting Diodes with Dual Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence

Polychlorinated (hetero)arenes have shown great promise for organic optoelectronics applications. However, the harsh synthetic routes for polychlorinated compounds and the possible luminescence quenching from the compact intermolecular π-π stacking induced by chlorine atoms limit their investigations and applications in luminescent materials. Herein, two isomeric polychlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds JY-1-Cl and JY-2-Cl consisting of rigidified aryl ketones and amine are designed and synthesized under mild conditions through nucleophilic chlorination intermediated by an electron donor-acceptor complex. Among them, as a result of the strong π-π interactions induced by chlorine atoms, JY-2-Cl exhibits bright monomer and dimer emissions with dual thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) characters. Notably, compared with the non-chlorinated compounds, a high photoluminescence quantum yield is maintained after introducing multiple chlorine atoms into JY-2-Cl. The first dual-TADF organic light-emitting diodes are also successfully fabricated with maximum external quantum efficiency as high as 29.1 % by employing JY-2-Cl as emitter. This work presents a new paradigm and synthesis of polychlorinated amine-carbonyl PAHs and demonstrates the great potential of the chlorinated materials for luminescent applications.

How Matrixes Influence Room Temperature Ultralong Organic Phosphorescence: 4-Dimethylaminopyridine vs Carbazole Derivative

How matrixes influence room temperature ultralong organic phosphorescence (RTUOP) in the doping systems is a fundamental question. In this study, we construct guest-matrix doping phosphorescence systems by using the derivatives (ISO2N-2, ISO2BCz-1, and ISO2BCz-2) of three phosphorescence units (N-2, BCz-1, and BCz-2) and two matrixes (ISO2Cz and DMAP) and systematically investigate their RTUOP properties. Firstly, the intrinsic phosphorescence properties of three guest molecules were studied in solution, in the pure powder state, and in PMMA film. Then, the guest molecules were doped into the two matrixes with increasing weight ratio. To our surprise, all of the doping systems in DMAP feature a longer lifetime but weaker phosphorescence intensity, while all of the doping systems in ISO2Cz exhibit a shorter lifetime but higher phosphorescence intensity. According to the single-crystal analysis of the two matrixes, resemblant chemical structures of the guests and ISO2Cz enable them to approach each other and interact with each other via a variety of interactions, thus facilitating the occurrence of charge separation (CS) and charge recombination (CR). The HOMO-LUMO energy levels of the guests match well with the ones of ISO2Cz, which also significantly promotes the efficiency of the CS and CR process. To our best knowledge, this work is a systematic study on how matrixes influence the RTUOP of guest-matrix doping systems and may give deep insight into the development of organic phosphorescence.

Competition between ultralong organic phosphorescence and thermally activated delayed fluorescence in dichloro derivatives of 9-benzoylcarbazole

Optoelectronic materials based on metal-free organic molecules represent a promising alternative to traditional inorganic devices. Significant attention has been devoted to the development of the third generation of OLEDs which are based on the temperature-activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) mechanism. In the last few years, several materials displaying ultra-long organic phosphorescence (UOP) have been designed using strategies such as crystal engineering and halogen functionalisation. Both TADF and UOP are controlled by the population of triplet states and the energy gaps between the singlet and triplet manifolds. In this paper, we explore the competition between TADF and UOP in the molecular crystals of three dichloro derivatives of 9H-carbazol-3-yl(phenyl)methanone. We investigate the excited state mechanisms in solution and the crystalline phase and address the effects of exciton transport and temperature on the rates of direct and reverse intersystem crossing under the Marcus-Levich-Jortner model. We also analyse how the presence of isomeric impurities and the stabilisation of charge transfer states affect these processes. Our simulations explain the different mechanisms observed for the three derivatives and highlight the role of intramolecular rotation and crystal packing in determining the energy gaps. This work contributes to a better understanding of the connection between chemical and crystalline structures that will enable the design of efficient materials.

Ultralong Organic Phosphorescence: From Material Design to Applications

Organic phosphorescence is defined as a radiative transition between the different spin multiplicities of an organic molecule after excitation; here, we refer to the photoexcitation. Unlike fluorescence, it shows a long emission lifetime (∼μs), large Stokes shift, and rich excited state properties, attracting considerable attention in organic electronics during the past years. Ultralong organic phosphorescence (UOP), a type of persistent luminescence in organic phosphors, shows an emission lifetime of over 100 ms normally according to the resolution limit of the naked eye. According to the Jablonski energy diagram, two prerequisites are necessary for UOP generation and enhancement. One is to promote intersystem crossing (ISC) of the excitons from the excited singlet to triplet states by enhancing the spin-orbit coupling (SOC); the other is to suppress the nonradiative transitions of the excitons from the excited triplet states.In this Account, we will give a summary of our research on ultralong organic phosphorescence, including the design of materials, manipulation of properties, fabrication of nano/microstructures, and function applications. First, we give a brief introduction to the UOP development. Then, we discuss the constructed methods of UOP materials from the inter/intramolecular interaction types, including π-π interactions, intermolecular hydrogen bonds, halogen bonds, ionic bonds, covalent bonds, and so on. These effective interactions can build a rigid environment to restrain the nonradiative transitions from the molecular motions or external quenching by oxygen, moisture, or heat, and thus enhance the UOP performance. Next, the manipulation of UOP properties, containing excitation wavelength, emission colors, lifetimes, and quantum efficiency (QE), through molecular or crystal engineering will be summarized. Recently, the excitation wavelengths of the materials for UOP can be regulated in different regions, such as UV, visible light, and X-ray; the emission colors of UOP can cover the whole visible-light region, from deep blue to red; the phosphorescence lifetime of UOP materials can reach 2.5 s, and the quantum efficiency can be achieved up to 96.5%. Moreover, we will present the fabrication of micro/nanoscale UOP materials, including the preparation of micro/nanostructure, optical performance, and device fabrication. Afterward, we will review the potential applications of UOP materials in organic/bio-optoelectronics, such as information encryption, bioimaging, sensing, afterglow display, etc. Finally, an outlook on the development of UOP materials and applications will be proposed.

A dish-like molecular architecture for dynamic ultralong room-temperature phosphorescence through reversible guest accommodation

Developing dynamic organic ultralong room-temperature phosphorescent (URTP) materials is of practical importance in various applications but remains a challenge due to the difficulty in manipulating aggregate structures. Herein, we report a dish-like molecular architecture via a bottom-up way, featuring guest-responsive dynamic URTP. Through controlling local fragment motions in the molecular architecture, fascinating dynamic URTP performances can be achieved in response to reversible accommodation of various guests, including solvents, alkyl bromides and even carbon dioxide. Large-scale regulations of phosphorescence lifetime (100-fold) and intensity (10-fold) can be realized, presenting a maximum phosphorescence efficiency and lifetime of 78.8% and 483.1 ms, respectively. Moreover, such a dish-like molecular architecture is employed for temperature-dependent multiple information encryption and visual identification of linear alkyl bromides. This work can not only deepen our understanding to construct multifunctional organic aggregates, but also facilitate the design of high-performance dynamic URTP materials and enrich their practical applications.

Organic Phosphorescence Lasing Based on a Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitter

Organic phosphorescence materials provide an opportunity to use triplets for lasing. However, population inversion based on phosphorescence is hard to establish, owing to low luminescent quantum efficiency and intensive optical loss. By comparison, thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters exhibit excellent optical gain with the aid of the reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) process. In this work, we designed a multifunctional gain material, not only serving as a thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter with excellent optical gain but also working as a phosphorescence source with high utilization of triplets. The lone pair of electrons in oxygen substitutions promotes a fast spin-flip and high delayed fluorescence quantum yield (Φ_DF = 55%), enabling TADF amplified spontaneous emissions (ASE) of CH₂Cl₂ solution. Single-crystalline nanowires of H-aggregates effectively lower triplet energy levels with high phosphorescence quantum yield (Φ_P = 27%), demonstrating Fabry-Perot mode phosphorescence lasing at 630 nm.

Photo-thermo-induced room-temperature phosphorescence through solid-state molecular motion

The development of smart-responsive materials, in particular those with non-invasive, rapid responsive phosphorescence, is highly desirable but has rarely been described. Herein, we designed and prepared a series of molecular rotors containing a triazine core and three bromobiphenyl units: o-Br-TRZ, m-Br-TRZ, and p-Br-TRZ. The bromine and triazine moieties serve as room temperature phosphorescence-active units, and the bromobiphenyl units serve as rotors to drive intramolecular rotation. When irradiated with strong ultraviolet photoirradiation, intramolecular rotations of o-Br-TRZ, m-Br-TRZ, and p-Br-TRZ increase, successively resulting in a photothermal effect via molecular motions. Impressively, the photothermal temperature attained by p-Br-TRZ is as high as 102 °C, and synchronously triggers its phosphorescence due to the ordered molecular arrangement after molecular motion. The thermal effect is expected to be important for triggering efficient phosphorescence, and the photon input for providing a precise and non-invasive stimulus. Such sequential photo-thermo-phosphorescence conversion is anticipated to unlock a new stimulus-responsive phosphorescence material without chemicals invasion.

The development of non-invasive, rapid responsive phosphorescence is highly desirable but has rarely been described. Herein, the authors designed and prepare a series of molecular rotors containing a room temperature phosphorescence active triazine core and three bromobiphenyl units acting as rotors and demonstrate light stimulus triggered phosphorescence.

Enhanced Blue Afterglow through Molecular Fusion for Bio-applications

Afterglow materials have drawn considerable attention due to their attractive luminescent properties. However, their low-efficiency luminescence in aqueous environment limits their applications in life sciences. Here, we developed a molecular fusion strategy to improve the afterglow efficiency of photochemical afterglow materials. By fusing a cache unit with an emitter, we obtained a blue afterglow system with a quantum yield up to 2.59 %. This is 162 times higher than that achieved with the traditional physical mixing system and more than an order of magnitude larger than that of the covalent coupling system. High-efficiency afterglow nanoparticles were obtained and utilized for bio-imaging with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 131, and for the lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) of β-hCG with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.34 mIU mL^-1 . This paves a new way for the construction of high-efficiency afterglow materials and expands the number of luminescence reporter candidates for disease diagnosis and bio-imaging.

Control of photoluminescence quantum yield and long-lived triplet emission lifetime in organic alloys

Two-component crystalline organic alloys with a wide range of compositional ratios (from 30% to 90% of one component) are employed to tune excited-state lifetimes and photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs). Alloy crystals exhibit homogeneous distribution of parent compounds by X-ray crystallography and differential scanning calorimetry. The alloys display a 1.5- to 5-fold enhancement in thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) lifetime, compared to the parent compounds. PLQYs can also be tuned by changing alloy composition. The reverse intersystem crossing and long-lived lifetime of the parent compounds give rise to long-lived TADF in the alloys. Organic alloys enable tunability of both lifetime and efficiency, providing a new perspective on the development of organic long-lived emissive materials beyond the rules established for host-guest doped systems.

Synergistic Generation and Accumulation of Triplet Excitons for Efficient Ultralong Organic Phosphorescence

The traditional method to achieve ultralong organic phosphorescence (UOP) is to hybrid nπ* and ππ* configurations in appropriate proportion, which are contradictory to each other for improving efficiency and lifetime of phosphorescence. In this work, through replacing the electron-donating aromatic group with a methoxy group and combining intramolecular halogen bond to promote intersystem crossing and suppress non-radiative transition, an efficient UOP molecule (2Br-OSPh) has been synthesized with the longest lifetime and brightest UOP among its isomers. As compared to CzS2Br, which has a similar substituted position of bromine atom and a larger k_isc (the rate of intersystem crossing), the smaller ΔE_TT* (the energy gap between monomeric phosphorescence and aggregated state phosphorescence) in 2Br-OSPh could accelerate the transition from T₁ to T₁ *. This research indicates that both generation and accumulation of triplet excitons play an important role in realizing efficient UOP materials.

Halogen-doped phosphorescent carbon dots for grayscale patterning

Flexible organic materials that exhibit dynamic ultralong room temperature phosphorescence (DURTP) via photoactivation have attracted increasing research interest for their fascinating functions of reversibly writing-reading-erasing graphic information in the form of a long afterglow. However, due to the existence of a nonnegligible activation threshold for the initial exposure dose, the display mode of these materials has thus far been limited to binary patterns. By resorting to halogen element doping of carbon dots (CDs) to enhance intersystem crossing and reduce the activation threshold, we were able to produce, for the first time, a transparent, flexible, and fully programmable DURTP composite film with a reliable grayscale display capacity. Examples of promising applications in UV photography and highly confidential steganography were constructed, partially demonstrating the broad future applications of this material as a programmable platform with a high optical information density.

More than Carbazole Derivatives Activate Room Temperature Ultralong Organic Phosphorescence of Benzoindole Derivatives

The mechanism of carbazole (Cz)-based phosphors is still unclear since its isomer (1H-benzo[f]indole, Bd) is discovered in 2020. Herein, the successful synthesis of four Cz/Bd derivatives is reported, named as 2CzBr, CzBdBr, 2BdBr, and 3Bd, and the general mechanism for their ultralong organic phosphorescence (UOP) is provided. Bd and its derivatives give double groups of phosphorescence, including the short-wavelength phosphorescence with a short lifetime and the ultralong phosphorescence at long wavelengths, assigned to their neutral molecules and radical cations, respectively. Interestingly, the doped poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films of CzBdBr and 2BdBr show photo-activated ultralong phosphorescence at room temperature. The activation of Bd derivatives 'UOP involves three factors: 1) well dispersion in the matrix with limited amount, 2) generation of their radical cations and 3) the matrix-mediated stabilization of radical cations. The function of Cz derivatives to activate the Bd derivatives' UOP could be replaced by photo-activation or using other matrixes. Significantly, the application of the doped PMMA films is practiced and gives an exciting result that the high-resolution QR code could be reversibly printed and erased on the film. This research has expanded the understanding in the field of organic phosphorescence and it may pave a new way for its development.

Triplet exciton dynamics of pure organics with halogen substitution boosted two photon absorption and room temperature phosphorescence: A theoretical perspective

Organic room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) molecules have shown promising applications in organic light emitting diodes and vivo imaging. Thus, triplet exciton dynamics in solid phase should be revealed and the molecule should possess large two photon absorption (TPA) cross sections under near-infrared excitation. The effects of halogen substitution and intermolecular interaction on RTP and TPA properties are studied at molecular level for a series of derivatives. Surrounding environment in solid phase is considered by combined quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics method. Intermolecular interactions are evaluated by the independent gradient model and calculated through the molecular force field energy decomposition method. Minimum energy crossing point, Huang-Rhys factor and reorganization energy are discussed, triplet exciton dynamics are investigated by thermal vibration correlation function method. Results indicate that the largest TPA cross sections are found for molecule in water. The halogen substitution can enlarge the proportion of (π, π*) and facilitate the intersystem crossing process. Restricted intramolecular rotation motions of dihedral angle in low frequency regions are found for Br-Np-Cz-BF₂ in solid phase. While enhanced vibrations of bond length and bond angle in high frequency regions are detected for I-Np-Cz-BF₂. Effects of halogen substitution and intermolecular interaction on triplet exciton dynamics are highlighted.

Tunable Fluorescence and Afterglow in Organic Crystals for Temperature Sensing

The modulation of the properties of emission from multiple emission states in a single-component organic luminescent material is highly desirable in data anticounterfeiting, information storage, and bioapplications. Here, a single-component luminescent organic crystal of difluoroboron diphenyl β-diketonate with controllable multiple emission colors is successfully reported. The temperature-dependent luminescence experiments supported by high-level theoretical calculations demonstrate that the ratio of the fluorescence between the monomer and excimer and the phosphorescence maxima of the excimer can be effectively regulated. In addition, the temperature-dependent fluorescence and afterglow dual-emission color changes provide a new strategy for the design of highly accurate double-checked temperature sensors.

Molecular-Level Understanding of Dual-RTP via Host-Sensitized Multiple Triplet-to-Triplet Energy Transfers and Data Security Application

Dual-room-temperature phosphorescence (DRTP) from organic molecules is of utmost importance in chemical physics. The Dexter-type triplet-to-triplet energy transfer mechanism can therefore be used to achieve DRTP at ambient conditions. Here, we report two donor-acceptor (D-A)-based guests (CQN1, CQN2) in which the donor (D) and acceptor (A) parts are held in angular orientation around the C-N single bond. Spectroscopic analysis along with computational calculations revealed that both guests are incapable of emitting either thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) or RTP at ambient conditions due to large singlet-triplet gaps, which are presented to show host (benzophenone, BP)-sensitized DRTP via multiple intermolecular triplet-to-triplet energy transfer (TTET) channels that originate from the triplet state (T₁ ^BP) of BP to the triplet states (T₁ ^D, T₁ ^A) of the D and A parts (TTET-I:T₁ ^BP → T₁ ^D; TTET-II:T₁ ^BP → T₁ ^A). In addition, an intramolecular TTET channel that occurs from the T₁ ^D to T₁ ^A states of the D and A parts of CQN2 is also activated due to the low triplet (T₁ ^D)-triplet (T₁ ^A) gap at ambient conditions. The efficiency of TTET processes was found to be 100%. The phosphorescence quantum yields (ϕ_P) and lifetimes (τ_P) were shown to be 13-20% and 0.48-0.55 s, respectively. Given the high lifetime of the DRTP feature of both host-guest systems (1000:1 molar ratio), a data security application is achieved. This design principle provides the first solid proof that DRTP via radiative decay of the dark triplet states of the D and A parts of D-A-based non-TADF systems is possible, revealing a method to increase the efficiency and lifetime of DRTP.

Mapping the Regioisomeric Space and Visible Color Range of Purely Organic Dual Emitters with Ultralong Phosphorescence Components: From Violet to Red Towards Pure White Light

We mapped the entire visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum and achieved white light emission (CIE: 0.31, 0.34) by combining the intrinsic ns-fluorescence with ultralong ms-phosphorescence from purely organic dual emitters. We realized small molecular materials showing high photoluminescence quantum yields (ΦL ) in the solid state at room temperature, achieved by active exploration of the regioisomeric substitution space. Chromophore stacking-supported stabilization of triplet excitons with assistance from enhanced intersystem crossing channels in the crystalline state played the primary role for the ultra-long phosphorescence. This strategy covers the entire visible spectrum, based on organic phosphorescent emitters with versatile regioisomeric substitution patterns, and provides a single molecular source of white light with long lifetime (up to 163.5 ms) for the phosphorescent component, and high overall photoluminescence quantum yields (up to ΦL =20 %).

Gaining New Insights into Trace Guest Doping Role in Manipulating Organic Crystal Phosphorescence

Trace guest doping systems often show better room temperature phosphorescence (RTP), but trace guest doping role and mechanism are not recognized well. Here we cocrystallize commercial (CCZ) and self-made (LCZ) carbazole derivatives and verify that 0.2‰ isomer doping can afford the deserved crystal RTP, but further increasing the isomer amount hardly improves RTP. Isomer doping does not affect crystal stacking modes and intermolecular interactions and is inefficient in monomolecular and amorphous states. LCZ derivatives are intrinsically phosphorescent, but crystallization itself cannot effectively inhibit thermal deactivation, and isomer doping restricts nonradiative relaxation and reduces the energy level of the triplet emissive state via space action at a distance rather than currently described adjacent intermolecular interactions. This work has updated some existing views and represented an important conceptual advance in a fresh understanding of trace guest doping RTP systems.

Controllable room temperature phosphorescence, mechanoluminescence and polymorphism of a carbazole derivative

Room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) and mechanoluminescence (ML) materials are in high demand because of their promising applications in optoelectronic devices. However, most materials bear only one of these properties and molecules bearing both of them are rarely reported. Here, we report a carbazole derivative 1, which displays both RTP activity and near-ultraviolet ML properties. These properties are highly related to the packing modes and molecular configuration as revealed by the analysis of their crystal structures and theoretical calculations. The near-ultraviolet ML of 1 can further serve as the exciting light source to transfer its energy to luminescent dyes to realize colorful ML. The thermal-responsive RTP of 1 can be utilized to prepare anti-counterfeiting tags for simple security protection. This work has put forward a simple but efficient strategy to prepare multifunctional molecular systems bearing both RTP and ML properties.

Influence of Isomerism on Radioluminescence of Purely Organic Phosphorescence Scintillators

There are few reports about purely organic phosphorescence scintillators, and the relationship between molecular structures and radioluminescence in organic scintillators is still unclear. Here, we presented isomerism strategy to study the effect of molecular structures on radioluminescence. The isomers can achieve phosphorescence efficiency of up to 22.8 % by ultraviolet irradiation. Under X-ray irradiation, both m-BA and p-BA show excellent radioluminescence, while o-BA has almost no radioluminescence. Through experimental and theoretical investigation, we found that radioluminescence was not only affected by non-radiation in emissive process, but also highly depended on the material conductivity caused by the different molecular packing. This study not only allows us to clearly understand the relationship between the molecular structures and radioluminescence, but also provides a guidance to rationally design new organic scintillators.

Organic Persistent Luminescent Materials: Ultralong Room-Temperature Phosphorescence and Multicolor-Tunable Afterglow

Organic persistent luminescent materials have attracted special attention due to their significant applications in optoelectronics, sensors, and security technology areas. In this work, a series of organic compounds (1-4) with twisted electron donor-acceptor structures are successfully designed and synthesized, and then the resultant compounds are dissolved in methyl methacrylate (MMA), and afterward, in situ polymerization realizes single-molecular organic room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials (P1-P4). All RTP materials show long lifetime, especially P2 exhibits ultralong lifetime of 1.51 s. When the compounds are grown into single crystals, multicolor-tunable afterglow is obtained at different delay times due to the dual emission of phosphorescence and delayed fluorescence, which is promising to be applied in high-level anticounterfeiting.

Switching between TADF and RTP: anion-regulated photoluminescence in organic salts and co-crystals

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) and room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) are two photophysical phenomena which utilize triplet excitons. In this work, we demonstrate how variation of the anion in organic salts with carbazole and phenothiazine-5,5-dioxide donors and pyridinium and quinolinium acceptors may be used to switch between TADF and RTP. These compounds adopt similar molecular structures and packing modes with different anions and exhibit different types of photophysical behavior due to the electronic effects of the anions. With bromide anions, the salts exhibit TADF with some RTP. These compounds show fast reverse intersystem crossing and a short delayed lifetime, which is key to application in efficient and robust OLEDs. With BF4 - and PF6 - anions, RTP with long-lived lifetimes and afterglow are observed by eye. This behavior can be utilized for data encryption and anti-counterfeiting applications. Emission wavelengths and lifetimes are also anion-dependent. These results open up an avenue for developing novel luminescent materials through anion tuning and present a molecular model to understand the interplay of RTP and TADF.

Theoretical Understanding of Structure-Property Relationships in Luminescence of Carbon Dots

Carbon dots (CDs) have excellent luminescence characteristics, such as good light stability, high quantum yield (QY), long phosphorescence lifetime, and a wide emission wavelength range, resulting in CDs' great success in optical applications. Understanding the structure-property relationships in CDs is essential for their use in optoelectronic applications. However, because of the complex nature of CD structures and synthesis processes, understanding the luminescence mechanism and structure-property relationships of CDs is a big challenge. This Perspective reviews the theoretical efforts toward the understanding of structure-property relationships and discusses the challenges that need to be overcome in future development of CDs.

Selective Expression of a Carbazole-Phenothiazine Derivative Leads to Dual-mode AIEE, TADF and Distinctive Mechanochromism

In this article, we report a newly designed D-A-D' derivative (CNCzPTZ), which displays selective expression of chromophores. This enables CNCzPTZ with solvatochromism, rare dual-mode AIEE properties, solid-state dual-emissions with phosphorescence and distinctive mechanochromism.CNCzPTZ exhibits dual-mode AIEE properties, since the emission band abruptly shifts from 550 nm to 500 nm as the water fraction increases. In the crystalline state, CNCzPTZ demonstrated dual emission bands of 478 nm and 538 nm.CNCzPTZ shows distinctive mechanochromic property in the solid state due to the planarization.

TADF-Type Organic Afterglow

We report a highly efficient dopant-matrix afterglow system enabled by TADF mechanism to realize afterglow quantum yields of 60-70 %, which features a moderate rate constant for reverse intersystem crossing (k_RISC ) to simultaneously improve afterglow quantum yields and maintain afterglow emission lifetime. Difluoroboron β-diketonate (BF₂ bdk) compounds are designed with multiple electron-donating groups to possess moderate k_RISC values and are selected as luminescent dopants. The matrices with carbonyl functional groups such as phenyl benzoate (PhB) have been found to interact with and perturb BF₂ bdk excited states by dipole-dipole interactions and thus enhance the intersystem crossing of BF₂ bdk excited states. Through dopant-matrix collaboration, the efficient TADF-type afterglow materials have been achieved to exhibit excellent processability into desired shapes and large-area films by melt casting, as well as aqueous afterglow dispersions for potential bioimaging applications.

Red-light excited efficient metal-free near-infrared room-temperature phosphorescent films

A set of red-light-excited, metal-free room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) systems was constructed with brominated phenolsulfonephthaleine derivatives. The best metal-free RTP system has the reddest near-infrared (NIR) RTP emission (λ_p = 819 nm) with the highest phosphorescence quantum yield (Φ_RTP = 3.0%) so far identified. The RTP emission can be switched ON-OFF by adding acid and alkali alternately. A logic operation with half-subtractor function and dual-channel response (visible light emission/NIR RTP emission) was also constructed based on these properties.

Ultraviolet irradiation-responsive dynamic ultralong organic phosphorescence in polymeric systems

Room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) has drawn extensive attention in recent years. Efficient stimulus-responsive phosphorescent organic materials are attractive, but are extremely rare because of unclear design principles and intrinsically spin-forbidden intersystem crossing. Herein, we present a feasible and facile strategy to achieve ultraviolet irradiation-responsive ultralong RTP (IRRTP) of some simple organic phosphors by doping into amorphous poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix. In addition to the observed green and yellow afterglow emission with distinct irradiation-enhanced phosphorescence, the phosphorescence lifetime can be tuned by varying the irradiation period of 254 nm light. Significantly, the dynamic phosphorescence lifetime could be increased 14.3 folds from 58.03 ms to 828.81 ms in one of the obtained hybrid films after irradiation for 45 min under ambient conditions. As such, the application in polychromatic screen printing and multilevel information encryption is demonstrated. The extraordinary IRRTP in the amorphous state endows these systems with a highly promising potential for smart flexible luminescent materials and sensors with dynamically controlled phosphorescence.

Efficient metal-free organic room temperature phosphors

An innovative transformation of organic luminescent materials in recent years has realised the exciting research area of ultralong room-temperature phosphorescence. Here the credit for the advancements goes to the rational design of new organic phosphors. The continuous effort in the area has yielded wide varieties of metal-free organic systems capable of extending the lifetime to several seconds under ambient conditions with high quantum yield and attractive afterglow properties. The various strategies adopted in the past decade to manipulate the fate of triplet excitons suggest a bright future for this class of materials. To analyze the underlying processes in detail, we have chosen high performing organic triplet emitters that utilized the best possible ways to achieve a lifetime above one second along with impressive quantum yield and afterglow properties. Such a case study describing different classes of metal-free organic phosphors and strategies adopted for the efficient management of triplet excitons will stimulate the development of better candidates for futuristic applications. This Perspective discusses the phosphorescence features of single- and multi-component crystalline assemblies, host-guest assemblies, polymers, and polymer-based systems under various classes of molecules. The various applications of the organic phosphors, along with future perspectives, are also highlighted.

Effect of π···π Interactions of Donor Rings on Persistent Room-Temperature Phosphorescence in D4-A Conjugates and Data Security Application

Organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials with persistent RTP (PRTP) have attracted huge interest in inks, bioimaging, and photodynamic therapy. However, the design principle to increase the lifetime of organic molecules is underdeveloped. Herein, we show donor(D₄)-acceptor(A) molecules (TOEPh, TOCPh, TOMPh, TOF and TOPh) with similar orientation of donor rings in aggregates that cause a large number of noncovalent interactions. We observed that TOEPh, TOCPh, TOMPh and TOF showed PRTP, whereas TOPh showed only phosphorescence emission (Φ_P = ∼11%) with no PRTP property at ambient conditions. The spectroscopic and single-crystal X-ray analyses confirm the molecular assembly via J-aggregation with a face-to-face orientation of the donor rings. The crystal structure analysis (TOEPh, TOCPh, TOMPh, TOF) reveals that moderate π···π interactions (3.706 to 4.065 Å) between the donor rings cause the enhancement of the phosphorescence lifetime (26 to 245 ms), whereas the short phosphorescence lifetime (12 ms) of TOPh was observed because of the absence of π···π interactions. We found that TOEPh shows a long lifetime (245 ms) as compared to other derivatives because of the presence of ethoxy (-OEt) groups that enables spin-orbit coupling caused by strong lone pair (O)···π interactions present in the molecule. Utilizing the PRTP feature of TOEPh and the fluorescence emission of TOPh, we have shown data security applications in poly(methyl methacrylate).

Achieving Purely-Organic Room-Temperature Aqueous Phosphorescence via a Two-Component Macromolecular Self-Assembly Strategy

Manipulation of supramolecular behaviors and aggregation states represents an important topic in devising intriguing photofunctional systems. Here we report a two-component macromolecular self-assembly strategy for achieving aqueous room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) in purely organic systems. Amphiphilic triblock copolymers are used to modulate the self-assembly of planar RTP molecules in aqueous solution, leading to the formation of sheet-like RTP objects with well-defined morphology, uniform crystalline nanostructures and excellent aqueous dispersity. In contrast, the addition of the planar RTP molecules into aqueous medium only leads to precipitation and quenching of RTP properties. Powder X-ray diffraction and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the amphiphilic triblock copolymers can assist supramolecular columnar packing of the planar RTP molecules where multiple non-covalent interactions stabilize the triplet excited states. Interestingly, it is found that luminescent signals of the sheet-like RTP objects can be extracted from strong fluorescent environments by phosphorescence mode and emission lifetime measurement.

Wide range zero-thermal-quenching ultralong phosphorescence from zero-dimensional metal halide hybrids

Materials with ultralong phosphorescence have wide-ranging application prospects in biological imaging, light-emitting devices, and anti-counterfeiting. Usually, molecular phosphorescence is significantly quenched with increasing temperature, rendering it difficult to achieve high-efficiency and ultralong room temperature phosphorescence. Herein, we spearhead this challenging effort to design thermal-quenching resistant phosphorescent materials based on an effective intermediate energy buffer and energy transfer route. Co-crystallized assembly of zero-dimensional metal halide organic-inorganic hybrids enables ultralong room temperature phosphorescence of (Ph4P)2Cd2Br6 that maintains luminescent stability across a wide temperature range from 100 to 320 K (ΔT = 220 °C) with the room temperature phosphorescence quantum yield of 62.79% and lifetime of 37.85 ms, which exceeds those of other state-of-the-art systems. Therefore, this work not only describes a design for thermal-quenching-resistant luminescent materials with high efficiency, but also demonstrates an effective way to obtain intelligent systems with long-lasting room temperature phosphorescence for optical storage and logic compilation applications.