Amorphous Pure Organic Polymers for Heavy-Atom-Free Efficient Room-Temperature Phosphorescence Emission

Abstract

Pure organic, heavy-atom-free room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials have attracted much attention and have potential applications in photoelectric and biochemical material fields owing to their rich excited state properties. They offer long luminescent lifetime, diversified design, and facile preparation. However, recent achievements of efficient phosphorescence under ambient conditions mainly focus on ordered crystal lattices or embedding into rigid matrices, which require strict growth conditions and have poor reproducibility. Herein, we developed a concise approach to give RTP with a decent quantum yield and ultralong phosphorescence lifetime in the amorphous state by radical binary copolymerization of acrylamide and different phosphors with oxygen-containing functional groups. The cross-linked hydrogen-bonding networks between the polymeric chains immobilize phosphors to suppress non-radiative transitions and provide a microenvironment to shield quenchers.

Keywords: amorphous polymers; heavy-atom-free; phosphorescent materials; room-temperature phosphorescence.