Boronic ester-functionalized dual-state emitter for oxygen/strain sensing and dynamic encryption.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Photochemistry
• Organic Electronics

Background:

• Developing novel luminogens with dual emission properties is crucial for advanced optical applications.
• Simultaneous room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) offer unique photophysical characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a novel luminogen, BTDA-BA, exhibiting both RTP and TADF emissions.
• To investigate the performance of BTDA-BA in various matrices for sensing and display applications.
• To explore the potential of BTDA-BA in developing multifunctional long afterglow materials.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of the novel luminogen BTDA-BA.
• Incorporation of BTDA-BA into different matrices (DMSO, PMMA, PVA, PVC, SIS).
• Characterization of photophysical properties, including RTP and TADF lifetimes, emission spectra, and oxygen/strain sensing capabilities.
• Utilizing Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) for ternary doping systems.

Main Results:

• BTDA-BA demonstrated simultaneous long-lived RTP and TADF emissions in various matrices.
• Exceptional RTP and TADF lifetimes (up to 1307.28 ms and 566.55 ms, respectively) were observed in BTDA-BA@PVA films.
• BTDA-BA@PVC films showed excellent oxygen detection sensitivity, reversibility, and a wide detection range (0-2.1 × 10^5 ppm).
• The material also exhibited promising strain-detection properties and achieved long-lived orange afterglow via FRET.

Conclusions:

• BTDA-BA is a novel dual-state long afterglow material with persistent luminescence in both rigid and flexible matrices.
• The material enables efficient oxygen and strain detection, paving the way for flexible displays, 3D modeling, and information encryption.
• This work advances the practical and theoretical understanding of multifunctional long afterglow materials.