Crystallization-induced emission enhancement in a phosphorus-containing heterocyclic luminogen

Lijun Qian, Bin Tong, Jinbo Shen, Jianbing Shi, Junge Zhi, Yongqiang Dong*, Fan Yang, Yuping Dong*, Jacky W.Y. Lam, Yang Liu, Ben Zhong Tang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

83 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Whereas aggregation often quenches luminescence, the emission of a heterocyclic luminogen, 10-[2,5-bis(4-pentyloxyphenylcarbonyloxy)phenyl]-9,10- dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (3), is greatly enhanced by aggregate formation. Crystallization further boosts the emission of 3, turning it from a weak emitter in the solution state to a strong emitter in the crystalline state. The emission of 3 is changed in response to the exposure to vapors of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The morphology of the thin film of 3 is reversibly and repeatedly modulated between amorphous and crystalline phases by simple fuming-heating and heating-cooling cycles, leading to an emission switching between bright and dark states. The novel attributes of the crystallization-induced emission enhancement, the VOC-responsive emission change, and the morphology-tunable emission switching of 3 could enable it to find applications in an array of technological areas, including chemosensing, optical display, and rewritable information storage.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9098-9103
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Physical Chemistry B
Volume113
Issue number27
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 9 Jul 2009

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