Figure: Structure of Au(I) double salt (left) and luminescence under different wavelengths (right) [IMAGE: CHEN YONG]

Smart materials, especially among dynamic physical stimuli responsive materials, are being widely used. Wavelength-dependent (Ex-De) photoluminescent materials are of great interest to scientists because of their facile, non-invasive emission color tuning made possible by switching excitation wavelengths.

Recently, the research team of Professor Chen Yong from the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry (TIPC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported their new work on smart luminescent materials in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. In their work, they achieved excitation wavelength-tunable circularly polarized luminescence (Ex-De CPL) by controlling metallophilic interactions in chiral gold(I) double salts (RC-A and SC-A).

Different from the previous reported gold(I)-carbene double salt with infinite Au(I)···Au(I) chains (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 6279-6283; Chem. Commun. 2018, 54, 12844-12847; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 2080-2984), the new dimeric double salt shows discrete ion pairs with the cation and anion adopting an orthogonal configuration to each other.

The Ex-Ed CPL of RC-A and SC-A in a poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix are ascribed to originating from multiple emissive excited states as a result of the existence of varied Au(I)···Au(I) distances. The emission maxima can be dynamically tuned from 440 to 530 nm by changing the excitation wavelength from 300 to 400 nm.

The unique Ex-De CPL means this material has promising applications in 3D displays, quantum encryption, anti-counterfeiting and security-enhanced optical communications.

For more information, please contact:

Prof. Chen Yong

Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

E-mail: chenyong@mail.ipc.ac.cn

Source: Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry,

Chinese Academy of Sciences