Achieving Color-Tunable Long Persistent Luminescence in Cs2 CdCl4 Ruddlesden-Popper Phase Perovskites

Efficient energy transfer from organic triplet states to Mn2+ dopants for dynamic tunable multicolor afterglow in 1D hybrid cadmium chloride

Metal ion-doped organic-inorganic hybrid metal halides have emerged as promising room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials owing to their tunable afterglow properties and significant potential in information security applications. However, optimizing RTP performance and achieving dynamic control over afterglow colors remain challenging in 1D hybrid systems, primarily because of the inefficient energy transfer from RTP-active organic components to external emissive sites. Herein, we report a novel 1D hybrid metal halide benchmark material, [(NBP)Cd2Cl5H2O] (NBP-Cd, NBP = N-benzylpiperidone), and a series of Mn2+-doped derivatives, NBP-Cd:xMn2+ (where x represents doping levels from 1% to 50%). The undoped compound exhibits blue-white fluorescence and exceptional long-lasting yellow-green organic RTP with a duration of up to 2 s. Upon Mn2+ doping, the afterglow color transitions progressively from yellow-green (1-5%) to yellow (10%), orange (20%), and finally red (50%), accompanied by a reduction in afterglow duration. This dynamic multicolor afterglow behavior is attributed to efficient energy transfer from the stable triplet states within the organic component to the 4T1 level of the Mn2+ dopants. Remarkably, the NBP-Cd:10% Mn2+ crystal demonstrates exceptional excitation-dependent dual-mode photoluminescence properties. These distinctive features underscore the significant potential of this model system for advanced applications in anti-counterfeiting technologies and high-level information encryption systems.

Reversible Asymmetric Deformation Modulating Dexter Energy Transfer in Manganese Halide Perovskite with Temperature-pressure Equivalence Effect

Deformation of metal halide perovskite can induce many interesting properties. This study focuses on a manganese-based organic-inorganic perovskite with a unique structure in which tetrahedral and octahedral coordination coexist in single crystal unit cell. This perovskite emits at 519 and 615 nm at room temperature. In contrast to conventional perovskites, this perovskite regulates the Dexter energy transfer between the two coordination modes through asymmetric deformation without phase transition, producing a reversible and tunable photoluminescence. Notably, under atmospheric pressure, as temperature increases from liquid nitrogen temperature to 135 °C, the luminescence color shifts progressively from red with a CIE coordinate of (0.59, 0.27) to yellow green with a CIE coordinate of (0.33, 0.56), with excellent reversibility. Additionally, at room temperature, the luminescence color shifts progressively from orange with a CIE coordinate of (0.54, 0.42) to red with a CIE coordinate of (0.61, 0.27) as pressure increases from 1 atm to 7.5 GPa. This novel tetrahedral and octahedral coexisting perovskite has a temperature-pressure equivalence effect in modulating luminescent color changes. It tunes emission by forming asymmetric deformations through the contraction (or expansion) of tetrahedra and expansion (or contraction) of octahedra upon stimulation, providing a new pathway to tune the emission of perovskites.

High Defect Tolerance Breaking the Design Limitation of Full-Spectrum Multimodal Luminescence Materials

With the development of optical anti-counterfeiting and the increasing demand for high-level information encryption, multimodal luminescence (MML) materials attract much attention. However, the discovery of these multifunctional materials is very accidental, and the versatile host suitable for developing such materials remains unclear. Here, a grossite-type fast ionic conductor CaGa4O7, characterized by layered and tunnel structure with excellent defect tolerance, is found to meet the needs of various luminescent processes. Almost all luminescent modes, including down/up-conversion luminescence (DCL/UCL), long persistent luminescence (LPL), mechanoluminescence (ML), and X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL), are realized in this single host. Full-spectrum (from violet to near-infrared) photoluminescence and ML as well as multicolor XEOL are achieved by simply changing the doped luminescent center. A series of anti-counterfeiting devices, including the quasi-dynamic display of famous paintings, digital information encryption, and multi-color handwritten signatures, are designed to show the encryption of information in temporal and spatial dimensions. This study clarifies the importance of defect tolerance of the host for the development of MML materials, and provides a unique insight into the cross-field applications of special functional materials, which is a new strategy to accelerate the development of novel MML materials.

Highly efficient tunable white emission with ultralong afterglow in Sb3+/Mn2+-codoped CsCdCl3 crystals for multifunctional applications

Recently, metal halides have attracted much attention due to their fascinating optical properties. However, achieving efficient white emission with ultralong afterglow remains a great challenge. Herein, we report Sb3+/Mn2+-codoped CsCdCl3 and multiple emission bands can be observed, which are derived from the self-trapped exciton emission of the Sb-Cl moiety and the d-d transition of Mn2+. Thus, tunable emission from cyan to orange light can be obtained. Moreover, efficient white emission with a luminous efficiency of 74% is observed when the energy-transfer efficiency from Sb3+ to Mn2+ is 34.5%. In particular, Sb3+/Mn2+-codoped CsCdCl3 shows bright orange afterglow emission, and the afterglow intensity is 1000 times that of CsCdCl3 and 20 times that of CsCdCl3:Mn2+. Upon combining this with thermoluminescence spectra, it is found that Mn2+/Sb3+ codoping can effectively regulate the depth and density distribution of trap defects, resulting in the ultralong afterglow duration exceeding 12 h at room temperature. Surprisingly, white light stimulation can provide additional photonic energy for Sb3+/Mn2+-codoped CsCdCl3, which enables the rapid release of trapped carriers to the emission center and rejuvenates afterglow emission after 12 h pre-delay. Finally, we demonstrated the applications of the as-synthesized compounds in single-component white light illumination, multiple optical anti-counterfeiting and information encryption.

Suppressing Energy Migration via Antiparallel Spin Alignment in One-Dimensional Mn2+ Halide Magnets with High Luminescence Efficiency

Photoexcited energy migration is prone to causing luminescence quenching in Mn2+ luminescent materials, presenting a formidable challenge for optoelectronic applications. Although various strategies and mechanisms have been proposed to mitigate this issue, the role of spin alignment between adjacent Mn2+ ions has remained largely unexamined. In this study, we have elucidated the influence of spin alignment on energy migration within the one-dimensional Mn2+-metal halide compound (CH3)4NMnCl3 (TMMC) through variable-temperature photoluminescence (PL) and magnetic-optical spectroscopy. This investigation was conducted with reference to (CH6N3)2MnCl4 (GUA) with isolated [Mn3Cl12]6- trimers and Cd2+-doped TMMC. The spin order in TMMC below approximately 55 K is demonstrated by the disorder-order transition observed in the temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility. This finding is further corroborated by the negligible shift in the temperature- and field-dependent emission peaks, a consequence of magnetic saturation. Our results indicate that the antiparallel spin alignment along the Mn2+ chain in TMMC effectively suppresses energy migration and multiphonon relaxation, thereby reducing nonradiative transitions and enhancing the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). This research casts new light on the potential for developing high-performance Mn2+-doped phosphors for optoelectronic and spin-photonic applications, offering insights into the manipulation of spin and energy dynamics in these materials.

Stable Long-Persistent Luminescence from Self-Activated CaSb2O6 Induced by Intrinsic Defects

Long-persistent luminescence (LPL) materials have attracted intensive attention due to their fascinating emission after excitation. However, current LPL materials typically depend on external doping to introduce traps or emitting centers, resulting in a complex synthesis and controllability. For the first time, we develop another category of undoped LPL materials based on antimonate CaSb2O6, which exhibits blue LPL for over 8000 s. Both experimental and theoretical evidence indicate that excitons are trapped by intrinsic oxygen vacancies. Then, they are detrapped and recombine through singlet and triplet emission of Sb3+ to form LPL. Moreover, CaSb2O6 maintains approximately 100% of its initial LPL performance and structural integrity even after being treated under 1000 °C, UV irradiation, and extreme conditions (pH = 1 or 13). This study highlights the significant potential of antimonates as robust and versatile luminescent materials.

Antithermal-Quenching All-Inorganic Perovskite Crystals with Green Ultralong Persistent Luminescence for Advanced Anticounterfeiting Applications

Long persistent luminescence (PersL) materials have revolutionized many fields of optoelectronics and photonics due to their applications in anticounterfeiting, information encryption, and in vivo bioimaging. Here, we reported a novel PersL crystal prepared by the heterovalent doping of Sb3+ into perovskite tetragonal phase RbCdCl3, comparing with the pristine non-perovskite orthorhombic phase analogue without PersL property. Surprisingly, under the UV light irradiation, the title crystals concurrently exhibit green ultralong PersL (>2400 s), high photoluminescence quantum yield (49.1%), and antithermal quenching in the range from 148 to 328 K. It was revealed by experimental results and theoretical analyses that green ultralong PersL and antithermal quenching of perovskite-phase RbCdCl3/Sb3+ crystals originate from the electron transition between the 5s2 level of the dopant Sb3+ and the electronic defect-induced trap states. Enlightened by the excellent optical properties, the tetragonal perovskite-phase RbCdCl3/Sb3+ PersL materials show promising application prospects in anticounterfeiting and encryption of information.

Pushing Trap-Controlled Persistent Luminescence Materials toward Multi-Responsive Smart Platforms: Recent Advances, Mechanism, and Frontier Applications

Smart stimuli-responsive persistent luminescence materials, combining the various advantages and frontier applications prospects, have gained booming progress in recent years. The trap-controlled property and energy storage capability to respond to external multi-stimulations through diverse luminescence pathways make them attractive in emerging multi-responsive smart platforms. This review aims at the recent advances in trap-controlled luminescence materials for advanced multi-stimuli-responsive smart platforms. The design principles, luminescence mechanisms, and representative stimulations, i.e., thermo-, photo-, mechano-, and X-rays responsiveness, are comprehensively summarized. Various emerging multi-responsive hybrid systems containing trap-controlled luminescence materials are highlighted. Specifically, temperature dependent trapping and de-trapping performance is discussed, from extreme-low temperature to ultra-high temperature conditions. Emerging applications and future perspectives are briefly presented. It is hoped that this review would provide new insights and guidelines for the rational design and performance manipulation of multi-responsive materials for advanced smart platforms.

High-efficiency color-tunable ultralong room-temperature phosphorescence from organic-inorganic metal halides via synergistic inter/intramolecular interactions

Materials exhibiting highly efficient, ultralong and multicolor-tunable room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) are of practical importance for emerging applications. However, these are still very scarce and remain a formidable challenge. Herein, using precise structure design, several novel organic-inorganic metal-halide hybrids with efficient and ultralong RTP have been developed based on an identical organic cation (A). The original organic salt (ACl) exhibits red RTP properties with low phosphorescence efficiency. However, after embedding metals into the organic salt, the changed crystal structure endows the resultant metal-halide hybrids with excellent RTP properties. In particular, A2ZnCl4·H2O exhibits the highest RTP efficiency of up to 56.56% with a long lifetime of up to 159 ms. It is found that multiple inter/intramolecular interactions and the strong heavy-atom effect of the rigid metal-halide hybrids can suppress molecular motion and promote the ISC process, resulting in highly stable and localized triplet excitons followed by highly efficient RTP. More crucially, multicolor-tunable fluorescence and RTP achieved by tuning the metal and halogen endow these materials with wide application prospects in the fields of multilevel information encryption and dynamic optical data storage. The findings promote the development of phosphorescent metal-halide hybrids for potential high-tech applications.

Blue Long Afterglow and Ultra Broadband Vis-NIR Emission from All-Inorganic Copper-Doped Silver Halide Single Crystals

All-inorganic metal halides with afterglow emission have attracted increasing attention due to their significantly longer afterglow duration and higher stability compared to their organic-inorganic hybrid counterparts. However, their afterglow colors have not yet reached the blue spectral region. Here, we report all-inorganic copper-doped Rb2AgBr3 single crystals with ultralong blue afterglow (>300 s) by modulating defect states through doping engineering. The introduction of copper(I) ions into Rb2AgBr3 facilitates the formation of bromine vacancies, thus increasing the density of trap states available for charge storage and enabling bright, persistent emission after ceasing the excitation. Moreover, cascade energy transfer between distinct emissive centers in the crystals results in ultra-broadband photoluminescence, not only covering the whole white light with near-unity quantum yield but also extending into the near-infrared region. This 'cocktail' of exotic light-emission properties, in conjunction with the excellent stability of copper-doped Rb2AgBr3 crystals, allowed us to demonstrate their implementation to solid-state lighting, night vision, and intelligent anti-counterfeiting.

A Robust Anti-Thermal-Quenching Phosphor Based on Zero-Dimensional Metal Halide Rb3InCl6:xSb3

High-power phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes (hp-WLEDs) have been widely involved in modern society as outdoor lighting sources. In these devices, due to the Joule effect, the high applied currents cause high operation temperatures (>500 K). Under these conditions, most phosphors lose their emission, an effect known as thermal quenching (TQ). Here, we introduce a zero-dimensional (0D) metal halide, Rb3InCl6:xSb3+, as a suitable anti-TQ phosphor offering robust anti-TQ behavior up to 500 K. We ascribe this behavior of the metal halide to two factors: (1) a compensation process via thermally activated energy transfer from structural defects to emissive centers and (2) an intrinsic structural rigidity of the isolated octahedra in the 0D structure. The anti-TQ phosphor-based WLEDs can stably work at a current of 2000 mA. The low synthesis cost and nontoxic composition reported here can herald a new generation of anti-TQ phosphors for hp-WLED.

Spectral Tunability, Luminescence Enhancement, and Temperature Sensitivity of Sb3+-Doped Bismuth-Based Halide Emission Crystals for Anti-Counterfeiting Applications

The synthesis of sustainable luminescent materials with simplicity, low energy consumption, and nontoxicity is of great importance in the field of chemistry and materials science. In this study, a room temperature evaporation method was employed to synthesize Sb3+-doped bismuth-based halide emission crystals, allowing for investigation of spectral tuning, luminescence enhancement, and temperature sensitivity. By substitution of Rb+ with varying concentrations of Cs+ in Rb3BiCl6 (RBC), the luminescent color of the crystals can be tuned from orange to yellow. The resulting alloyed yellow-emitting crystals were identified as Rb2CsBiCl6 (RCBC). Remarkably, when one-third of the Rb+ ions were replaced by Cs+ in the RBC, the crystals exhibited improved thermal stability and a 20-fold increase in luminescence intensity. The temperature-sensitive behavior was observed for RBC:Sb, with emission shifting from 590 to 574 nm upon heating while the yellow emission of RCBC:Sb exhibited no significant peak shift with temperature. Notably, the yellow emission of RBC:Sb could be reversibly converted back to orange light upon cooling to room temperature. In contrast, RCBC:Sb exhibited no significant peak shift with temperature. The differential temperature sensitivity between RBC:Sb and RCBC:Sb offers potential applications in anti-counterfeiting measures.