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Organic room temperature phosphorescence co-crystal with reversible acid/base stimulus response
Chenchen Zhang1, Xingjia Jiang1, Can Wang1
1State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials Jilin University Changchun Jilin Province China.
Smart Molecules : Open Access
|January 2, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed new organic co-crystals exhibiting tunable room temperature phosphorescence (RTP). These materials show reversible switching in response to acid-base stimuli, paving the way for advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Organic Chemistry
- Photophysics
Background:
- Stimulus-responsive organic room temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials are crucial for bioimaging, sensing, and data storage due to their dynamic variability.
- Organic co-crystals offer a platform to tailor optical properties and understand structure-property relationships in RTP materials.
- Enhancing RTP through rigid frameworks that promote intersystem crossing is a key strategy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the development of organic RTP co-crystals with tunable properties and reversible stimulus response.
- To explore the use of 4,4'-bipyridine (44BD) as a host with different guests to achieve specific RTP characteristics.
- To demonstrate the potential of these co-crystals as acid/base stimulus-responsive materials.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and characterization of organic co-crystals using 4,4'-bipyridine (44BD) as a host with 1,4-diiodotetrafluorobenzene (DITF) and 4-bromo-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzoic acid (TFBA) as guests.
- Crystal structure analysis and theoretical calculations to understand the relationship between molecular packing, intermolecular interactions, and RTP emergence.
- Investigation of the reversible acid/base stimulus response by exposing co-crystals to hydrochloric acid (HCl) fumes and triethylamine (TEA).
Main Results:
- The 44BD-DITF co-crystal exhibited orange RTP, while the 44BD-TFBA co-crystal displayed bright yellow RTP.
- Dense molecular packing and abundant intermolecular interactions were identified as crucial for RTP.
- Both co-crystals demonstrated reversible RTP quenching upon exposure to HCl fumes, which was restored by TEA fumigation.
Conclusions:
- Organic co-crystals based on 44BD host effectively achieve tunable RTP colors.
- Molecular packing and intermolecular interactions significantly influence RTP properties in these co-crystals.
- The developed co-crystals exhibit reversible acid/base stimulus-responsive behavior, offering potential for next-generation smart materials.
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