Color-Tunable Ultralong Organic Phosphorescence: Commercially Available Triphenylmethylamine for UV-Light Response and Anticounterfeiting

Due to the unclear mechanism and lack of effective design for color-tunable ultralong organic phosphorescence (UOP) in a single-component molecule, the development of new types of single-component UOP materials with color-tunable property remains challenging. Herein, commercially available triphenylmethylamine-based single-component phosphors featuring color-tunablity and ultralong lifetime (0.56 s) are reported. The changed afterglow colors from cyan to orange were observed after different wavelengths of UV excitation. Crystal structure and calculation studies show that multiple emission centers in the aggregated states may be responsible for the color-tunablity. In addition, visual probing of UV light (from 260 to 370 nm) and colorful anti-counterfeiting were conducted. More importantly, UV light ranging from 350 to 370 nm could be detected with the minimal interval of 2 nm. The findings provide a new type of single-component color-tunable UOP materials and shed new light on mechanism and design for such materials.

Automated summary

This study reports commercially available single-component phosphors based on triphenylmethylamine, which exhibit color-tunable property and ultralong lifetime (0.56 s). Different afterglow colors ranging from cyan to orange were observed under different wavelengths of UV excitation. Crystal structure and calculation studies suggest that multiple emission centers in the aggregated states may be responsible for the color-tunablity. Additionally, visual probing of UV light and colorful anti-counterfeiting were conducted, and the detection of UV light ranging from 350 to 370 nm with a minimal interval of 2 nm was achieved. These findings provide insights into the mechanism and design of single-component color-tunable ultralong organic phosphorescence materials.