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Multistimuli Responsive Solid-State Emission of a Zinc(II) Complex with Multicolour Switching.

Han-Wen Zheng¹, Min Wu¹, Dong-Dong Yang¹

¹Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.

Inorganic Chemistry

|July 21, 2021

Summary

A novel zinc(II)-Schiff base complex exhibits reversible color changes in response to acid/base vapors and mechanical stress, enabling its use in chemical sensing applications.

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Supramolecular Chemistry
Luminescent Materials

Background:

Developing stimulus-responsive luminescent materials is crucial for advanced sensing technologies.
Single-molecule systems capable of reversible color switching under external stimuli remain a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize and characterize a novel zinc(II)-Schiff base complex with stimulus-responsive luminescent properties.
To investigate the acidochromic and mechanochromic behavior of the complex for potential sensing applications.

Main Methods:

Synthesis and characterization of a zinc(II)-Schiff base complex (ZnL2).
Investigation of acidochromic response to HCl and NH3 vapors using UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy.
X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) to analyze surface chemical changes.
Single crystal X-ray diffraction to study structural modifications.
Evaluation of mechanochromic luminescence through grinding-fuming/heating cycles.

Main Results:

The ZnL2 complex displayed reversible tricolor acidochromism upon exposure to HCl and NH3 vapors.
XPS and diffraction studies revealed that vapor adsorption and surface reactions drive the color change.
Reversible mechanochromic luminescence between yellow and orange was observed due to amorphous-crystalline state modulation.
The material was successfully fabricated into test paper for detecting HCl/NH3 vapors and mechanical stimuli.

Conclusions:

The synthesized ZnL2 complex exhibits significant acidochromic and mechanochromic luminescence.
The observed phenomena are attributed to surface adsorption, gas-solid reactions, and solid-state structural changes.
This material holds promise for developing practical sensors for chemical vapors and mechanical stimuli.