Stable Xanthene Radicals and Their Heavy Chalcogen Analogues Showing Tunable Doublet Emission from Green to...

Organic luminescent radicals, unlike traditional closed-shell fluorescent emitters, exhibit distinct luminescence mechanisms, offering promising potential for optoelectronic devices. To date, stable luminescent radicals have predominantly been confined to polychlorinated triphenylmethyl radicals, underscoring the need for new platforms to expand their emission spectra. In this study, we report the synthesis of stable 9-aryl-substituted xanthene radicals and their heavy chalcogen analogues (1 a-c and 2 a-c), which exhibited excellent chemical stability and emission ranging from green to near-infrared (527-714 nm). Notably, the selenium-substituted radical (1 c) demonstrates a significantly enhanced photoluminescence quantum yield of 41 % when doped into its precursor solid. Additionally, the introduction of methoxyphenyl groups has largely enhanced the stability of the radical, showcasing an excellent photostability with the longest half-life of around 1792 h. The high internal quantum efficiency of up to 81 % was further validated in organic light-emitting diode. This study introduces a novel class of stable carbon-centered radicals with high tunability and functionality for photoelectric applications.