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Water-Enabled Ultralong Full-Color Organic Phosphorescence in Hydrogen-Bonded Frameworks for 4D Encryption and
Pengcheng Wu1,2, Zenggang Lin1,2,3, Lu Yang1,2
1The Second Hospital & Clinical Medical School, Department of Ophthalmology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, P. R. China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|June 19, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed water-stable organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials by using water to enhance, not quench, ultralong RTP. This novel strategy enables full-color emission and applications in bio-imaging and sensing.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Organic Chemistry
- Photophysics
Background:
- Developing water-stable organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials is challenging due to water-induced quenching.
- Conventional approaches often fail in aqueous environments, limiting applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design a novel strategy for water-stable ultralong RTP materials.
- To investigate the role of water as a structural enhancer rather than a quencher.
- To enable full-color ultralong RTP in aqueous media for bio-imaging and sensing.
Main Methods:
- In situ encapsulation of carbonyl-based guests within a rigid hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF).
- Mechanistic studies involving hydrogen bonding and molecular conformation analysis.
- Tuning guest conjugation to achieve full-color emission.
Main Results:
- Water molecules act as structural reinforcers, bridging hydrogen-bonding sites and rigidifying the HOF.
- Phosphorescence intensity is maximized at 55 wt.% water content.
- Achieved full-color ultralong RTP (blue to deep red) in aqueous media.
- Demonstrated biocompatibility and effectiveness in cellular bio-imaging.
- Showcased applications in 4D encryption and humidity sensing.
Conclusions:
- A counter-intuitive strategy transforms water from a quencher to an enhancer for ultralong RTP.
- This approach provides a universal method for designing high-performance RTP materials for biological applications.
- The developed materials exhibit excellent stability, tunable emission, and diverse functionalities.
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