Day-Long Organic Persistent Luminescence in Flexible Polymeric Materials

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Organic Electronics

Background:

• Organic afterglow materials are crucial for optoelectronics, anti-counterfeiting, and bioimaging.
• A key limitation is their short emission lifetimes (milliseconds to seconds), hindering the development of day-long organic afterglow (DOA).

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel DOA system overcoming the short emission lifetime limitation.
• To develop polymeric materials with exceptionally long-lasting afterglow for advanced applications.

Main Methods:

• Incorporation of electron donor/acceptor exciplexes within a polymer system.
• Utilizing polyethylene naphthalate as both electron acceptor and charge storage unit.
• Coupling with a spirobifluorene-carbazole derivative as the electron donor for efficient charge separation under UV and sunlight.

Main Results:

• Achieved a record-breaking afterglow duration exceeding 28 hours under ambient conditions.
• Demonstrated exceptional bluish-green afterglow emission.
• Developed DOA-doped polymers exhibiting excellent flexibility and transparency in film and fiber forms.

Conclusions:

• The developed DOA polymers represent a significant advancement in long-lasting organic afterglow materials.
• The material's properties make it highly suitable for flexible technologies and wearable devices.
• This work sets a new benchmark for afterglow duration in polymeric systems.