Difluoroboron β-Diketonate Materials with Long-Lived Phosphorescence Enable Lifetime Based Oxygen Imaging with a Portable Cost Effective Camera

High-Resolution Afterglow Patterning Using Cooperative Vapo- and Photo-Stimulation

Bright afterglow room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) soon after ceasing excitation is a promising technique for greatly increasing anti-counterfeiting capabilities. The development of a process for rapid high-resolution afterglow patterning of crystalline materials can improve both high-speed fabrication of anti-counterfeiting afterglow media and stable afterglow readout compared with those achieved with amorphous materials. Here, the high-resolution afterglow patterning of crystalline materials via cooperative organic vapo- and photo-stimulation is reported. A single crystal of (S)-(-)-2,2'-bis(diphenylphosphino)-5,5',6,6',7,7'8,8'-octahydro-1,1'-binaphthyl [(S)-H8-BINAP] doped with (S)-(-)-2,2'-bis(diphenylphosphino)-1,1'-binaphthyl [(S)-BINAP] shows green afterglow RTP. Crystals of (S)-BINAP-doped (S)-H8-BINAP changed to an amorphous state with no afterglow capability on weak continuous photoirradiation under dichloromethane (DCM) vapor. Photoirradiation induced oxidation of the (S)-H8-BINAP host molecule in the crystal. The oxidized (S)-H8-BINAP forms on the crystal surface strongly interacted with DCM molecules, which induces melting of the (S)-BINAP-doped (S)-H8-BINAP crystal and trigger formation of an amorphous state without an afterglow capability. High-resolution afterglow patterning of the crystalline film is rapidly achieved by using cooperative organic vapo- and photo-stimulation. In addition to the benefit of rapid afterglow patterning, the formed afterglow images of the crystalline film can be repeatedly read out under ambient conditions without DCM vapor.

Continuous Condensed Triplet Accumulation for Irradiance-Induced Anticounterfeit Afterglow

Afterglow room-temperature emission that is independent of autofluorescence after ceasing excitation is a promising technology for state-of-the-art bioimaging and security devices. However, the low brightness of the afterglow emission is a current limitation for using such materials in a variety of applications. Herein, the continuous formation of condensed triplet excitons for brighter afterglow room-temperature phosphorescence is reported. (S)-(-)-2,2'-Bis(diphenylphosphino)-1,1'-binaphthyl ((S)-BINAP) incorporated in a crystalline host lattice showed bright green afterglow room-temperature phosphorescence under strong excitation. The small triplet-triplet absorption cross-section of (S)-BINAP in the whole range of visible wavelengths greatly suppressed the deactivation caused by Förster resonance energy transfer from excited states of (S)-BINAP to the accumulated triplet excitons of (S)-BINAP under strong continuous excitation. The steady-state concentration of the triplet excitons for (S)-BINAP reached 2.3 × 10-2  M, producing a bright afterglow. Owing to the brighter afterglow, afterglow detection using individual particles with sizes approaching the diffraction limit in aqueous conditions and irradiance-dependent anticounterfeiting can be achieved.

Förster resonance energy transfer involving the triplet state

Triplet harvesting is important for high-efficiency optoelectronics devices, time-resolved bioimaging, sensing, and anti-counterfeiting devices. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the donor (D) to the acceptor (A) is important to efficiently harvest the triplet excitons after a variety of excitations. However, general explanations of the key factors of FRET from the singlet state (FRET_S-S) via reverse intersystem crossing and FRET from the triplet state (FRET_T-S) have not been reported beyond spectral overlap between emission of the D and absorption of the A. This feature article gives an overview of FRET involving the triplet state. After discussing the contribution of the radiation yield from the state of the D considering spin-forbidden factors of FRET, a variety of schemes involving triplet states, such as FRET_S-Svia reverse intersystem crossing from the triplet state, dual FRET_S-S and FRET_T-S, and selective FRET_T-S, are introduced. Representative examples, including the chemical structure and FRET for triplet harvesting, are highlighted using emerging applications in optoelectronics and afterglow imaging. Finally, recent developments of using FRET involving triplet states for high-efficiency optoelectronic devices and time-resolved bioimaging are discussed. This article provides crucial information for controlling state-of-the-art properties using FRET involving the triplet state.

Polymer films doped with boron difluoride ortho-hydroxydibenzoylmethanates: Solvatochromism and solvent-induced exciplex formation

The spectral properties and solvatochromic behavior of boron difluoride ortho-hydroxydibenzoylmethanates in polymer matrices with different polarity (polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, poly(methyl methacrylate)) were investigated. The specific interaction of polystyrene, polycarbonate and poly(methyl methacrylate) with the investigated fluorophores was revealed. It was shown that the dyes are capable to form exciplexes with phenyl rings of polystyrene. The spectral properties of polystyrene films doped with boron difluoride ortho-hydroxydibenzoylmethanates, which were obtained by the pouring method, significantly depend on the solvent from which they were formed. This makes it possible to control the luminescence color of the films at the manufacturing stage.

Room temperature tunable multicolor phosphorescent polymers for humidity detection and information encryption

Amorphous polymer-based room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials exhibiting tunable emission colors have received tremendous attention and are extremely challenging to prepare. Herein, polyacrylamide-based RTP materials with tunable multicolor emission were prepared via copolymerizing phosphor with concentration dependent luminescence colors and acrylamide with different molar ratios. The hydrogen bonding interactions and chemically crosslinked structures in these polymers effectively restrict the mobility of phosphors and activate efficient RTP emission. The molar ratio of phosphor and acrylamide has a significant influence on the photophysical properties of these polymers, which can be used to fabricate multicolor materials. In addition, the RTP intensity decreases with increasing humidity due to the disassociation of hydrogen bonding by adsorption of water, manifesting as a humidity sensor. Benefiting from the distinguishable RTP lifetimes and the responsiveness to humidity, triple encoding for information encryption is successfully realized.

A polymer with tunable multicolor was prepared via copolymerizing a phosphor with concentration dependent luminescence and acrylamide based on chemical crosslinking and hydrogen bonding interactions for humidity detection and information encryption.

Highly sensitive and quantitative biodetection with lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles having organic room-temperature phosphorescence

A versatile organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP)-based "turn on" biosensor platform has been devised with high sensitivity by combining oxygen-sensitive lipid-polymer hybrid RTP nanoparticles with a signal-amplifying enzymatic oxygen scavenging reaction in aqueous solutions. When integrated with a sandwich-DNA hybridization assay on 96-well plates, our phosphorimetric sensor demonstrates sequence-specific detection of a cell-free cancer biomarker, a TP53 gene fragment, with a sub-picomolar (0.5 p.m.) detection limit. This assay is compatible with detecting cell-free nucleic acids in human urine samples. Simply by re-programming the detection probe, our unique methodology can be adapted to a broad range of biosensor applications for biomarkers of great clinical importance but difficult to detect due to their low abundance in vivo.

Key of Suppressed Triplet Nonradiative Transition-Dependent Chemical Backbone for Spatial Self-Tunable Afterglow

Highly efficient persistent (lifetime > 0.1 s) room-temperature phosphorescence (pRTP) chromophores are important for futuristic high-resolution afterglow imaging for state-of-the-art security, analytical, and bioimaging applications. Suppression of the radiationless transition from the lowest triplet excited state (T₁) of the chromophores is a critical factor to access the high RTP yield and RTP lifetime for desirable pRTP. Logical explanations for factor suppression based on chemical structures have not been reported. Here we clarify a strategy to reduce the radiationless transition from T₁ based on chemical backbones and yield a simultaneous high RTP yield and high RTP lifetime. Yellow phosphorescence chromophores that contain a coronene backbone were synthesized and compared with yellow phosphorescent naphthalene. One of the designed coronene derivatives reached a RTP yield of 35%, which is the best value for chromophores with a RTP lifetime of 2 s. The optically measured rate constant of a radiationless transition from T₁ was correlated precisely with a multiplication of vibrational spin-orbit coupling (SOC) at a T₁ geometry and with the Franck-Condon chromophore factor. The agreement between the experimental and theoretical results confirmed that the extended two-dimensional fused structure in the coronene backbone contributes to a decrease in vibrational SOC and Franck-Condon factor between T₁ and the ground state to decrease the radiationless transition. A resolution-tunable afterglow that depends on excitation intensity for anticounterfeit technology was demonstrated, and the resultant chromophores with a high RTP yield and high RTP lifetime were ideal for largely changing the resolution using weak excitation light.

Recent advances in dioxaborine-based fluorescent materials for bioimaging applications

Fluorescent materials are continuously contributing to important advances in the field of bioimaging. Among these materials, dioxaborine-based fluorescent materials (DBFM) are arousing growing interest. Due to their rigid structures conferred by a cyclic boron complex, DBFM possess appealing photophysical properties including high extinction coefficients and quantum yields as well as emission in the near infrared, enhanced photostability and high two-photon absorption. We herein discuss the recent advances of DBFM that found use in bioimaging applications. This review covers the development of fluorescent molecular probes for biomolecules (DNA, proteins), small molecules (cysteine, H₂O₂, oxygen), ions and the environment (polarity, viscosity) as well as polymers and nanomaterials used in bioimaging. This review aims at providing a comprehensive and critical insight on DBFM by highlighting the assets of these promising materials in bioimaging but also by pointing out their limitations that would require further developments.

Highly Efficient Persistent Room-Temperature Phosphorescence from Heavy Atom-Free Molecules Triggered by Hidden Long Phosphorescent Antenna

Persistent (lifetime > 100 ms) room-temperature phosphorescence (pRTP) is important for state-of-the-art security and bioimaging applications. An unclear relationship between chromophores and physical parameters relating to pRTP has prevented obtaining an RTP yield of over 50% and a lifetime over 1 s. Here highly efficient pRTP is reported under ambient conditions from heavy atom-free chromophores. A heavy atom-free aromatic core substituted with a long-conjugated amino group considerably accelerates the phosphorescence rate independent of the intramolecular vibration-based nonradiative rate from the lowest excited triplet state. One of the designed heavy atom-free dopant chromophores presents an RTP yield of 50% with a lifetime of 1 s under ambient conditions. The afterglow brightness under strong excitation is at least 10⁴ times stronger than that of conventional long-persistent luminescence emitters. Here it is shown that highly efficient pRTP materials allow for high-resolution gated emission with a size of the diffraction limit using small-scale and low-cost photodetectors.

Roles of Localized Electronic Structures Caused by π Degeneracy Due to Highly Symmetric Heavy Atom-Free Conjugated Molecular Crystals Leading to Efficient Persistent Room-Temperature Phosphorescence

Conjugated molecular crystals with persistent room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) are promising materials for sensing, security, and bioimaging applications. However, the electronic structures that lead to efficient persistent RTP are still unclear. Here, the electronic structures of tetraphenylmethane (C(C₆H₅)₄), tetraphenylsilane (Si(C₆H₅)₄), and tetraphenylgermane (Ge(C₆H₅)₄) showing blue-green persistent RTP under ambient conditions are investigated. The persistent RTP of the crystals originates from minimization of triplet exciton quenching at room temperature not suppression of molecular vibrations. Localization of the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs) of the steric and highly symmetric conjugated crystal structures decreases the overlap of intermolecular HOMOs, minimizing triplet exciton migration, which accelerates defect quenching of triplet excitons. The localization of the HOMOs over the highly symmetric conjugated structures also induces moderate charge-transfer characteristics between high-order singlet excited states (S _m ) and the ground state (S₀). The combination of the moderate charge-transfer characteristics of the S _m -S₀ transition and local-excited state characteristics between the lowest excited triplet state and S₀ accelerates the phosphorescence rate independent of the vibration-based nonradiative decay rate from the triplet state at room temperature. Thus, the decrease of triplet quenching and increase of phosphorescence rate caused by the HOMO localization contribute to the efficient persistent RTP of Ge(C₆H₅)₄ crystals.

Roles of Localized Electronic Structures Caused by π Degeneracy Due to Highly Symmetric Heavy Atom-Free Conjugated Molecular Crystals Leading to Efficient Persistent Room-Temperature Phosphorescence

Conjugated molecular crystals with persistent room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) are promising materials for sensing, security, and bioimaging applications. However, the electronic structures that lead to efficient persistent RTP are still unclear. Here, the electronic structures of tetraphenylmethane (C(C6H5)4), tetraphenylsilane (Si(C6H5)4), and tetraphenylgermane (Ge(C6H5)4) showing blue-green persistent RTP under ambient conditions are investigated. The persistent RTP of the crystals originates from minimization of triplet exciton quenching at room temperature not suppression of molecular vibrations. Localization of the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs) of the steric and highly symmetric conjugated crystal structures decreases the overlap of intermolecular HOMOs, minimizing triplet exciton migration, which accelerates defect quenching of triplet excitons. The localization of the HOMOs over the highly symmetric conjugated structures also induces moderate charge-transfer characteristics between high-order singlet excited states (S m ) and the ground state (S0). The combination of the moderate charge-transfer characteristics of the S m -S0 transition and local-excited state characteristics between the lowest excited triplet state and S0 accelerates the phosphorescence rate independent of the vibration-based nonradiative decay rate from the triplet state at room temperature. Thus, the decrease of triplet quenching and increase of phosphorescence rate caused by the HOMO localization contribute to the efficient persistent RTP of Ge(C6H5)4 crystals.

Theoretical insights into UV-Vis absorption spectra of difluoroboron β-diketonates with an extended π system: An analysis based on DFT and TD-DFT calculations

The UV-Vis absorption spectra of difluoroboron β-diketonates with aromatic substituents at the β-carbon are studied thoroughly using DFT and TD-DFT with the CAM-B3LYP functional. The complicated experimental spectra of these dyes can be correctly interpreted by considering their structural features. A closer look at the calculated data shows that the conformational flexibility of these compounds markedly influences their spectral shape. For the complexes with an extended π system, several conformers with significantly different absorption spectra are present in the equilibrium mixture in solution. Introducing a donor group alters the electronic structure of the complexes, so the charge distribution asymmetry in the molecules increases and the nature of the electronic transitions changes. Thus, both types of substituents, aromatic and donor ones, affect the spectral shape. Understanding their roles may help one to explain the absorption spectra of these and similar compounds and predict their response to analytes and other factors.

Spectroscopic and quantum chemical study of difluoroboron β-diketonate luminophores: Isomeric acetylnaphtholate chelates

The electronic structure and optical properties of the isomeric difluoroboron β-diketonates, 2,2-difluoro-4-methylnaphtho-[2,1-e]-1,3,2-dioxaborin (I) and 2,2-difluoro-4-methylnaphtho-[1,2-e]-1,3,2-dioxaborin (II), were studied by means of X-ray photoelectron, absorption and luminescence spectroscopies. The experimental results were interpreted using high-level ab initio quantum chemical computations, including the algebraic-diagrammatic construction method for the polarization propagator of the second and third orders (ADC(2) and ADC(3)), the outer-valence Green's function (OVGF) method, and the time-dependent density functional (TDDFT) approach. The X-ray photoelectron measurements were assigned in the entire energy range using the results of the Kohn-Sham orbital calculations which employed the B3LYP functional. Pronounced hypsochromic shift of crystal-state fluorescence was observed in I upon the lowering of temperature, which can be explained by the deterioration of the conditions for excimers formation. According to our results, remarkable feature of II, absent in I, is its phosphorescence at room temperature. Basing on our calculations, a decay mechanism for the S₁ state was proposed, explaining the observed differences in the phosphorescence of I and II.

Suppressed Triplet Exciton Diffusion Due to Small Orbital Overlap as a Key Design Factor for Ultralong-Lived Room-Temperature Phosphorescence in Molecular Crystals

Persistent room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) under ambient conditions is attracting attention due to its strong potential for applications in bioimaging, sensing, or optical recording. Molecular packing leading to a rigid crystalline structure that minimizes nonradiative pathways from triplet state is often investigated for efficient RTP. However, for complex conjugated systems a key strategy to suppress the nonradiative deactivation is not found yet. Here, the origin of small rates of a nonradiative decay process from triplet states of conjugated molecular crystals showing RTP is reported. Optical microscopy analysis showed that, despite a favorable molecular stacking, an aromatic crystal with strong RTP is characterized by small diffusion length and small values of the diffusion coefficient of triplet excitons. Quantum chemical calculations reveal a large overlap between the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals but very small overlap between the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs). Inefficient electron exchange caused by the small overlap of HOMOs prevents triplet excitons from diffusing over long distances and consequently from quenching at defect sites inside the crystal or at the crystal surface. These results will allow design of comprehensive molecular structures to obtain molecular solids with more efficient RTP.

Highly Efficient Ultralong Organic Phosphorescence through Intramolecular-Space Heavy-Atom Effect

Metal-free organic phosphorescent materials have attracted considerable attention in the fields of organic electronics and bioelectronics. However, it remains a great challenge to achieve organic phosphors with high quantum efficiency in a single-component system. We designed and synthesized two organic phosphors (PDCz and PDBCz) with an ultralong organic phosphorescence (UOP) feature. Both molecules showed ultralong emission lifetime of >200 ms. For PDBCz crystal, it was found that the absolute phosphorescence quantum efficiency reaches up to 38.1%. Combining the experimental and theoretical studies, the highly efficient UOP was mainly attributed to the intramolecular space heavy-metal effect, which facilitates the spin-orbit coupling between singlet and triplet excited states to effectively promote the intersystem crossing. This study will provide a new platform to rationally design highly efficient UOP materials and show its potential in the field of flexible electronics.

Boosting the triplet activity of heavy-atom-free difluoroboron dibenzoylmethane via sp3 oxygen-bridged electron donors

Boosting triplet activity by introducing an electron donor in BF₂dbm proved the charge-transfer mediated ISC process in the oxygen-bridged donor-sp³-acceptor systems.

Intrinsic Analysis of Radiative and Room-Temperature Nonradiative Processes Based on Triplet State Intramolecular Vibrations of Heavy Atom-Free Conjugated Molecules toward Efficient Persistent Room-Temperature Phosphorescence

The radiative rate ( k_p) of the lowest triplet excited state (T₁) and the nonradiative rate based on intramolecular vibrations at room temperature [ k_nr(RT)] from T₁ for heavy atom-free conjugated structures are determined by considering the triplet yield and quenching rate from T₁. Donor substitution did not strongly influence k_nr(RT) but greatly enhanced k_p. The k_nr(RT) values were comparable between donor-substituted molecules and nonsubstituted molecules, which we explain by similar vibrational spin-orbit coupling (SOC) related to the transition from T₁ to the ground state (S₀). We attribute the enhancement of k_p induced by donor substitution to the appearance of a large SOC between high-order singlet excited states (S_m) and T₁ together with the large transition dipole moments of the S_m-S₀ transitions. Knowledge of this mechanism is important for developing future efficient persistent room-temperature phosphorescence from doped aromatic materials and aromatic crystals.

Twisted Molecular Structure on Tuning Ultralong Organic Phosphorescence

Compared to planar carbazole, the molecular conjugation of iminodibenzyl (Id) was destroyed by a C-C bond and a twisted structure was formed, which exhibited blue-shifted ultralong phosphorescence with a lifetime of 402 ms in a crystal under ambient conditions. For the presence of an oscillating C-C bond between the two benzene rings in Id, more than one molecular configuration in the crystal was discovered by X-ray single-crystal analysis. Moreover, its ultralong phosphorescence color changed from blue to green by varying the excitation wavelength in solution at 77 K. Theoretical calculations also confirmed that different molecular configurations had certain impact on the phosphorescent photophysical properties. This result will allow a major step forward in expanding the scope of ultralong organic phosphorescent (UOP) materials, building a bridge to realize the relationship between molecular structure and UOP property.

Boron difluoride dibenzoylmethane derivatives: Electronic structure and luminescence

Electronic structure and optical properties of boron difluoride dibenzoylmethanate and four of its derivatives have been studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, absorption and luminescence spectroscopy and quantum chemistry (DFT, TDDFT). The relative quantum luminescence yields have been revealed to correlate with charge transfers of HOMO-LUMO transitions, energy barriers of aromatic substituents rotation and the lifetime of excited states in the investigated complexes. The bathochromic shift of intensive bands in the optical spectra has been observed to occur when the functional groups are introduced into p-positions of phenyl cycles due to destabilizing HOMO levels. Calculated energy intervals between electronic levels correlate well with XPS spectra structure of valence and core electrons.

Camera Method for Monitoring a Mechanochromic Luminescent β-Diketone Dye with Rapid Recovery

Mechanochromic luminescent (ML) materials, which show a change in emission due to an applied mechanical stimulus, are useful components in a variety of applications, including organic light-emitting diodes, force sensors, optical memory storage, and next-generation lighting materials. While there are many different ML active derivatives, few show room temperature self-erasing. Thin films of the methoxy substituted β-diketone, gbmOMe, initially exhibited blue (428 nm) emission; however, green (478 nm) emission was observed after smearing. The mechanically generated smeared state recovered so rapidly that characterization of its emission was difficult at room temperature using traditional luminescence techniques. Thus, a new complementary metal oxide semiconductor camera imaging method was developed and used to calculate the decay time of the mechanically generated smeared state (i.e., smeared-state decay; τ_SM) for gbmOMe thin films. Additionally, this method was used to evaluate substrate and film thickness effects on ML recovery for glass and weighing paper films. The recovery behavior of gbmOMe was largely substrate-independent for the indicated matrixes; however, thickness effects were observed. Thus, film thickness may be the main factor in determining ML recovery behavior and must be accounted for when comparing the recovery dynamics of different ML materials. Moreover, when heated above the melting point (T_m = 119 °C), bulk gbmOMe powders assumed a metastable state that eventually crystallized after a few minutes at room temperature. However, melted thin films remained in an amorphous state indefinitely despite annealing at different temperatures (50-110 °C). The amorphous phase was identified as a supercooled liquid via changing the rate of cooling in differential scanning calorimetry thermograms.

Luminescent Difluoroboron β-Diketonate PLA-PEG Nanoparticle

Luminescent difluoroboron β-diketonate poly(lactic acid) (BF₂bdkPLA) materials serve as biological imaging agents. In this study, dye structures were modified to achieve emission colors that span the visible region with potential for multiplexing applications. Four dyes with varying π-conjugation (phenyl, naphthyl) and donor groups (-OMe, -NMe₂) were coupled to PLLA-PEG block copolymers (∼11 kDa) by a postpolymerization Mitsunobu reaction. The resulting dye-polymer conjugates were fabricated as nanoparticles (∼55 nm diameter) to produce nanomaterials with a range of emission colors (420-640 nm). For increased stability, dye-PLLA-PEG conjugates were also blended with dye-free PDLA-PEG to form stereocomplex nanoparticles of smaller size (∼45 nm diameter). The decreased dye loading in the stereoblocks blue-shifted the emission, generating a broader range of fluorescence colors (410-620 nm). Tumor accumulation was confirmed in a murine model through biodistribution studies with a red emitting dimethyl amino-substituted dye-polymer analogue. The synthesis, optical properties, oxygen-sensing capabilities, and stability of these block copolymer nanoparticles are presented.

Excited State Modulation for Organic Afterglow: Materials and Applications

Organic afterglow materials, developed recently by breaking through the difficulties in modulating ultrafast-decayed excited states, exhibit ultralong-lived emission for persistent luminescence with lifetimes of several orders of magnitude longer than traditional fluorescent and phosphorescent emissions at room temperature. Their exceptional properties, namely ultralong luminescent lifetime, large Stokes shifts, facile excited state transformation, and environmentally sensitive emission, have led to a diverse range of advanced optoelectronic applications. Here, the organic afterglow is reviewed from the perspective of fundamental concepts on both phenomenon and mechanism, examining the technical challenges in relation to excited state tuning and lifetime elongation. In particular, the advances in material design strategies that afford a large variety of organic afterglow materials for a broad utility in optoelectronics including lighting and displays, anti-counterfeiting, optical recording, chemical sensors and bio-imaging are highlighted.

Oxygen Sensing Difluoroboron β-Diketonate Polylactide Materials with Tunable Dynamic Ranges for Wound Imaging

Difluoroboron β-diketonate poly(lactic acid) materials exhibit both fluorescence (F) and oxygen sensitive room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP). Introduction of halide heavy atoms (Br and I) is an effective strategy to control the oxygen sensitivity in these materials. A series of naphthyl-phenyl (nbm) dye derivatives with hydrogen, bromide and iodide substituents were prepared for comparison. As nanoparticles, the hydrogen derivative was hypersensitive to oxygen (0-0.3%), while the bromide analogue was suited for hypoxia detection (0-3% O₂). The iodo derivative, BF₂nbm(I)PLA, showed excellent F to RTP peak separation and an 0-100% oxygen sensitivity range unprecedented for metal-free RTP emitting materials. Due to the dual emission and unconventionally long RTP lifetimes of these O₂ sensing materials, a portable, cost-effective camera was used to quantify oxygen levels via lifetime and red/green/blue (RGB) ratiometry. The hypersensitive H dye was well matched to lifetime detection, simultaneous lifetime and ratiometric imaging was possible for the bromide analogue, whereas the iodide material, with intense RTP emission and a shorter lifetime, was suited for RGB ratiometry. To demonstrate the prospects of this camera/material design combination for bioimaging, iodide boron dye-PLA nanoparticles were applied to a murine wound model to detect oxygen levels. Surprisingly, wound oxygen imaging was achieved without covering (i.e. without isolating from ambient conditions, air). Additionally, would healing was monitored via wound size reduction and associated oxygen recovery, from hypoxic to normoxic. These single-component materials provide a simple tunable platform for biological oxygen sensing that can be deployed to spatially resolve oxygen in a variety of environments.

Synthesis, characterization and properties of furan-containing difluoroboron complexes

New β-diketonate difluoroboron complexes (F1–F4) containing a furan ring have been developed, and their luminescence properties have been investigated systematically.