Metal Inorganic-Organic Complex Glass and Fiber for Photonic Applications

The vitrification of hybrid materials (e.g., metal-organic frameworks and coordination polymers) is considered as the fourth generation of glass. To extend the hybrid glass family with photonic functionalities, we report a crystalline metal inorganic-organic complex (MIOC) (i.e., ZnCl2(HbIm)(2), HbIm = benzimidazole) with a one-dimensional hydrogen bonded chain that can be melted to a stable liquid at elevated temperatures and subsequently quenched to form a large-sized bulk glass under ambient atmosphere with excellent thermal and chemical stability. Benefiting from the moderate glass-forming ability of the MIOC, we succeeded in the fabrication of the first MIOC glass fibers with diameters of 7-200 mu m. The doping of the MIOC fibers by organic dyes results in anisotropic photoluminescence. Furthermore, the as-prepared MIOC bulk glass can be employed as the stable and inert host for inorganic phosphors, which leads to the development of a novel phosphor-in-MIOC glass composite and enables the fabrication of high-power white light-emitting diodes. Our findings make the ZnCl2(HbIm)(2)-based MIOC glass a promising material for photonic applications.

Automated summary

This study reports a new type of glass material that can be fabricated into large-sized bulk glass with photonic functionalities through appropriate temperature treatments. Doping with organic dyes enables photoluminescence, and the material can also serve as a host for inorganic phosphors to develop high-power white light-emitting diodes.