Stable, Full-Color, Long-Lasting Aqueous Room-Temperature Phosphorescent Materials

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemistry
• Optics

Background:

• Ultralong room-temperature phosphorescent (URTP) materials offer unique optical properties for applications like anti-counterfeiting and bio-imaging.
• Challenges include weak emission and quenching in aqueous solutions for many existing URTP materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple and effective method for creating full-color URTP materials that are stable and functional in aqueous environments.
• To investigate the phosphorescent properties and potential applications of these novel materials.

Main Methods:

• A one-step microwave-assisted synthesis was employed to embed guest molecules within a rigid cyanuric acid (CA) matrix derived from urea.
• The conjugation of guest molecules was enhanced to achieve a full-color emission spectrum.

Main Results:

• A series of full-color aqueous URTP materials with excellent phosphorescent properties, including a maximum phosphorescent lifetime of 7.96 s, were successfully synthesized.
• The CA matrix protected the phosphorescence in water, with visible afterglow exceeding 30 s.
• Exceptional water-enhanced properties were observed, reaching a phosphorescence quantum yield (PhQY) of 40.4% under low water content.

Conclusions:

• The developed one-step microwave method provides a rapid (5 min) and efficient route to produce stable, full-color aqueous URTP materials.
• These materials demonstrate significant potential for applications in information encryption and advanced afterglow display technologies.