Dissipative Regenerative Chemiluminescence in Water: A Perylene-Based Out-of-Equilibrium Light-Emitting System

Living systems maintain functional states through the continuous dissipation of chemical energy, a principle that remains a formidable challenge to replicate in synthetic molecular architectures. In such context, while classical chemiluminescence relies on irreversible bond-breaking events that consume the luminophore, regenerative chemiluminescence (RCL) offers a circular alternative based on electron-transfer cycles. However, traditional RCL remains constrained by harsh operating conditions and requires isolation of reactive intermediates. Here, we report the development of a water-soluble Perylene Bisimide (PBI) scaffold capable of undergoing Chemically Fueled Regenerative Chemiluminescence (CFRCL) under mild, dissipative conditions. By strategically tailoring the PBI core we enable a redox cycle driven by mild chemical fuels, sodium dithionite and hydrogen peroxide, in aqueous media. We show that light production can be sustained and pulsed through continuous chemical fueling. These results bridge the gap between redox-active molecular chemistry and autonomous light-emitting materials, providing a novel non-equilibrium analytical tool and bio-inspired photonic system.