Hybrid Chloroantimonates(III): Thermally Induced Triple-Mode Reversible Luminescent Switching and Laser- Printable Rewritable Luminescent Paper

Two hybrid chloroantimonates( III), [Bzmim] 3SbCl6 ( 1, Bzmim= 1-benzyl-3-methylimidazolium, Tm1= 410 K) and [Bzmim] 2SbCl5 ( 2, Tm2= 348 K) are presented. 1 exhibits green emission ( quantum efficiency of 87.5%); 2 exhibits blue and red emissions under the irradiation of 310 and 396 nm light, respectively. Using different cooling methods, crystalline 1 and IL@ 2 ( IL= ionic liquid of [Bzmim] Cl) could be generated from the molten 1. Reversible structural and PL transformation triggered by moisture or heat was observed between 1 and IL@ 2. Such PL switching, combined with the crystallization-induced PL properties of 1 and 2, resulted in the firstly reported triple-mode reversible PL switching, that is, onoff ( T> Tm1), color switching ( T< Tm2), and on-off-on ( Tm2< T< Tm1). Furthermore, ink-and mask-free laser-printable rewritable PL paper was achieved. This study demonstrates the promise of dynamic insertion/ extraction of ILs in hybrid chloroantimonates for anti-counterfeiting and rewritable PL paper.