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Color-tunable ultralong room temperature phosphorescence from EDTA
Haoyue Zheng1, Yanying Wang, Peisheng Cao
1State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, Analytical & Testing Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China. wupeng@scu.edu.cn.
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|March 12, 2021
Summary
Researchers discovered unexpected color-tunable ultralong room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) from EDTA and its derivatives. This phenomenon, originating from through-space conjugation, opens new avenues for developing advanced phosphors with extended emission lifetimes.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Photophysics
- Organic Chemistry
Background:
- Room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) is crucial for advanced optical materials.
- Developing materials with tunable emission and long lifetimes remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the origin of unexpected ultralong room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) in EDTA and its derivatives.
- To explore the potential of EDTA-based materials for phosphorescence applications.
Main Methods:
- Experimental characterization of photoluminescence properties.
- Theoretical calculations to elucidate electronic structure and conjugation.
- Synthesis and analysis of EDTA, its salts, chelates, and analogues.
Main Results:
- Observation of color-tunable ultralong RTP with lifetimes up to 0.5 seconds from EDTA and related compounds.
- Identification of through-space conjugation of lone pair n electrons on N/O atoms as the mechanism for RTP.
- Demonstration of structural analogues exhibiting similar RTP properties.
Conclusions:
- EDTA and its derivatives are promising candidates for developing novel phosphors.
- The identified through-space conjugation mechanism provides insights for designing materials with ultralong emission.
- This work contributes to the field of advanced luminescent materials with extended lifetimes.
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