Aggregation‐induced circularly polarized luminescence and delayed fluorescence enabled by activating high‐level reverse intersystem crossing
Ke Wang,
Xinwen Ou,
Xiaofei Niu,
Zhenghao Wang,
Fengyan Song,
Xiaobin Dong,
Wu‐jie Guo,
Hui‐Qing Peng,
Zujin Zhao,
Jacky W. Y. Lam,
Jianwei Sun,
Hongkai Wu,
Shu‐Yan Yu,
Fei Li,
Ben Zhong Tang
Affiliations
Ke Wang
Center of Excellence for Environmental Safety and Biological Effects Beijing Key Laboratory for Green Catalysis and Separation Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Life Science Beijing University of Technology Beijing China
Xinwen Ou
Department of Chemistry and the Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay, Kowloon Hong Kong China
Xiaofei Niu
Center of Excellence for Environmental Safety and Biological Effects Beijing Key Laboratory for Green Catalysis and Separation Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Life Science Beijing University of Technology Beijing China
Zhenghao Wang
Department of Chemistry and the Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay, Kowloon Hong Kong China
Fengyan Song
Center of Excellence for Environmental Safety and Biological Effects Beijing Key Laboratory for Green Catalysis and Separation Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Life Science Beijing University of Technology Beijing China
Xiaobin Dong
State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices South China University of Technology Guangzhou China
Wu‐jie Guo
State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering Beijing University of Chemical Technology Beijing China
Hui‐Qing Peng
State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering Beijing University of Chemical Technology Beijing China
Zujin Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices South China University of Technology Guangzhou China
Jacky W. Y. Lam
Department of Chemistry and the Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay, Kowloon Hong Kong China
Jianwei Sun
Department of Chemistry and the Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay, Kowloon Hong Kong China
Hongkai Wu
Department of Chemistry and the Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay, Kowloon Hong Kong China
Shu‐Yan Yu
Center of Excellence for Environmental Safety and Biological Effects Beijing Key Laboratory for Green Catalysis and Separation Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Life Science Beijing University of Technology Beijing China
Fei Li
State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines College of Engineering China Pharmaceutical University Nanjing China
Ben Zhong Tang
School of Science and Engineering Shenzhen Institute of Aggregate Science and Technology The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Guangdong China
Abstract Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials with delayed fluorescence have attracted much attention due to their ability to efficiently trap triplet state excitons, thereby improving the photoluminescence quantum yields of CPL materials. However, much effort has been normally focused on the utilization of T1 excitons but seldom on the utilization of higher excited triplet state Tn (n > 1) excitons. Rational manipulation of higher excited triplet state Tn (n > 1) excitons and suppression of Kasha's rule of CPL materials remains a major challenge. Herein, two gold complex enantiomers ((R/S)‐BPAuBC) based on axially chiral binaphthyls and 3,6‐Di‐tert‐butylcarbazole groups are synthesized and systematically investigated. These materials exhibit aggregation‐induced circularly polarized delayed fluorescence. Circularly polarized delayed fluorescence was found to be enabled by activating high‐level reverse intersystem crossing (hRISC). The anti‐Kasha phosphorescence at 77 K proves that the exciton has a large population in the high‐lying triplet state T2, which allows the effective hRISC process to cross back to the singlet state S1 and emit delayed fluorescence. In addition, CPL “on–off” switching is further achieved in nanoparticles by acid–base stimulus, showing its potential as an acid–base responsive material.
