Ultraviolet Light Detectable Circularly Polarized Room Temperature Phosphorescence in Chiral Naphthalimide Self-Assemblies

The combination of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) and pure-organic room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) potentially facilitates the construction of organic chiroptical optoelectronics and display materials, which however are challenging to use in realizing smart control of luminescent colors and switchable chiroptical properties. Here, we show a host-guest strategy to fabricate color-tunable RTP-based circularly polarized phosphorescence. Napthalimides were conjugated directly to chiral segments, of which supramolecular chirality and CPL activities in solid-states could be triggered by substituting bromine atoms on amines Introducing tetracyanobenzene as an achiral host matrix via simple grinding would allow for the intersystem crossing to trigger red RTP and corresponding CPL by excitation lower than 320 nm, with a large Stokes shift more than 300 nm. The critical excitation wavelength of the RTP switch is determined by the absorbance of tetracyanobenzene. When the excitation wavelength was larger than 320 nm, blue fluorescence dominated with turned off RTP and CPL. The excitation wavelength-dependent RTP and CPL switch allows for detecting ultraviolet (UV) light, showing distinguishable red-blue luminescent color transition, accompanied by on/off RTP. Changing the host matrix from tetracyanobenzene to tricyanobenzene or dicyanobenzene could adjust the critical detecting wavelength limit from 320 to 300 nm. This work establishes a strategy to realize color-tunable, UV light detectable RTP and CPL under smart control.

Automated summary

A color-tunable circularly polarized phosphorescence based on RTP was successfully fabricated using a host-guest strategy, allowing for smart control of luminescent color transition and adjustable chiroptical properties.