IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v15y2024i1d10.1038_s41467-024-48728-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Photochromic luminescence of organic crystals arising from subtle molecular rearrangement

Author

Listed:
  • Zihao Zhao

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Yusong Cai

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Qiang Zhang

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Anze Li

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Tianwen Zhu

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Xiaohong Chen

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Wang Zhang Yuan

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

Abstract

Photoluminescence (PL) colour-changing materials in response to photostimulus play an increasingly significant role in intelligent applications for their programmability. Nevertheless, current research mainly focuses on photochemical processes, with less attention to PL transformation through uniform aggregation mode adjustment. Here we show photochromic luminescence in organic crystals (e.g. dimethyl terephthalate) with PL varying from dark blue to purple, then to bright orange-red, and finally to red. This change is attributed to the emergence of clusters with red emission, which is barely achieved in single-benzene-based structures, thanks to the subtle molecular rearrangements prompted by light. Crucial to this process are the through-space electron interactions among molecules and moderate short contacts between ester groups. The irradiated crystals exhibit reversible PL transformation upon sufficient relaxation, showing promising applications in information storage and smart optoelectronic devices. This research contributes to the development of smart photochromic luminescent materials with significant PL colour transformations through molecular rearrangement.

Suggested Citation

  • Zihao Zhao & Yusong Cai & Qiang Zhang & Anze Li & Tianwen Zhu & Xiaohong Chen & Wang Zhang Yuan, 2024. "Photochromic luminescence of organic crystals arising from subtle molecular rearrangement," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-48728-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48728-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48728-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-024-48728-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ejaz Ahmed & Durga Prasad Karothu & Mark Warren & Panče Naumov, 2019. "Shape-memory effects in molecular crystals," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Peisheng Cao & Haoyue Zheng & Peng Wu, 2022. "Multicolor ultralong phosphorescence from perovskite-like octahedral α-AlF3," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    3. Takuro Ideguchi & Simon Holzner & Birgitta Bernhardt & Guy Guelachvili & Nathalie Picqué & Theodor W. Hänsch, 2013. "Coherent Raman spectro-imaging with laser frequency combs," Nature, Nature, vol. 502(7471), pages 355-358, October.
    4. Franck Perez, 2015. "Organelles under light control," Nature, Nature, vol. 518(7537), pages 41-42, February.
    5. Yongfeng Zhang & Liang Gao & Xian Zheng & Zhonghao Wang & Chaolong Yang & Hailong Tang & Lunjun Qu & Youbing Li & Yanli Zhao, 2021. "Ultraviolet irradiation-responsive dynamic ultralong organic phosphorescence in polymeric systems," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-9, December.
    6. Xin Ye & Yang Liu & Qing Guo & Quanxiang Han & Chao Ge & Shuangyue Cui & Leilei Zhang & Xutang Tao, 2019. "1D versus 2D cocrystals growth via microspacing in-air sublimation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rui Tian & Shuo Gao & Kaitao Li & Chao Lu, 2023. "Design of mechanical-robust phosphorescence materials through covalent click reaction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Qingao Chen & Lunjun Qu & Hui Hou & Jiayue Huang & Chen Li & Ying Zhu & Yongkang Wang & Xiaohong Chen & Qian Zhou & Yan Yang & Chaolong Yang, 2024. "Long lifetimes white afterglow in slightly crosslinked polymer systems," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Dian-Xue Ma & Zhong-Qiu Li & Kun Tang & Zhong-Liang Gong & Jiang-Yang Shao & Yu-Wu Zhong, 2024. "Nylons with Highly-Bright and Ultralong Organic Room-Temperature Phosphorescence," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Xiao Zhang & Mingjian Zeng & Yewen Zhang & Chenyu Zhang & Zhisheng Gao & Fei He & Xudong Xue & Huanhuan Li & Ping Li & Gaozhan Xie & Hui Li & Xin Zhang & Ningning Guo & He Cheng & Ansheng Luo & Wei Zh, 2023. "Multicolor hyperafterglow from isolated fluorescence chromophores," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Juan Wei & Chenyuan Liu & Jiayu Duan & Aiwen Shao & Jinlu Li & Jiangang Li & Wenjie Gu & Zixian Li & Shujuan Liu & Yun Ma & Wei Huang & Qiang Zhao, 2023. "Conformation-dependent dynamic organic phosphorescence through thermal energy driven molecular rotations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    6. Qing Yang & Xinyi Yang & Yixuan Wang & Yunfan Fei & Fang Li & Haiyan Zheng & Kuo Li & Yibo Han & Takanori Hattori & Pinwen Zhu & Shuaiqiang Zhao & Leiming Fang & Xuyuan Hou & Zhaodong Liu & Bing Yang , 2024. "Brightening triplet excitons enable high-performance white-light emission in organic small molecules via integrating n–π*/π–π* transitions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    7. Rebecca Cheng & Mengjie Yu & Amirhassan Shams-Ansari & Yaowen Hu & Christian Reimer & Mian Zhang & Marko Lončar, 2024. "Frequency comb generation via synchronous pumped χ(3) resonator on thin-film lithium niobate," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    8. Lian-Cai An & Xiang Li & Zhi-Gang Li & Qite Li & Patrick J. Beldon & Fei-Fei Gao & Zi-Ying Li & Shengli Zhu & Lu Di & Sanchuan Zhao & Jian Zhu & Davide Comboni & Ilya Kupenko & Wei Li & U. Ramamurty &, 2022. "Plastic bending in a semiconducting coordination polymer crystal enabled by delamination," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    9. Anton Lukashchuk & Johann Riemensberger & Maxim Karpov & Junqiu Liu & Tobias J. Kippenberg, 2022. "Dual chirped microcomb based parallel ranging at megapixel-line rates," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.
    10. Xin Zhang & Yaohui Cheng & Jingxuan You & Jinming Zhang & Chunchun Yin & Jun Zhang, 2022. "Ultralong phosphorescence cellulose with excellent anti-bacterial, water-resistant and ease-to-process performance," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    11. Nan Zhang & Wencong Sun & Yao Zhang & Huan-Huan Jiang & Ren-Gen Xiong & Shuai Dong & Han-Yue Zhang, 2023. "Organic radical ferroelectric crystals with martensitic phase transition," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    12. Jingxuan You & Xin Zhang & Qinying Nan & Kunfeng Jin & Jinming Zhang & Yirong Wang & Chunchun Yin & Zhiyong Yang & Jun Zhang, 2023. "Aggregation-regulated room-temperature phosphorescence materials with multi-mode emission, adjustable excitation-dependence and visible-light excitation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    13. Guang Lu & Jing Tan & Hongxiang Wang & Yi Man & Shuo Chen & Jing Zhang & Chunbo Duan & Chunmiao Han & Hui Xu, 2024. "Delayed room temperature phosphorescence enabled by phosphines," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    14. Ying-Xin Ma & Xue-Dong Wang, 2024. "Directional self-assembly of organic vertically superposed nanowires," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    15. Kaijun Chen & Yongfeng Zhang & Yunxiang Lei & Wenbo Dai & Miaochang Liu & Zhengxu Cai & Huayue Wu & Xiaobo Huang & Xiang Ma, 2024. "Twofold rigidity activates ultralong organic high-temperature phosphorescence," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    16. Mehdi Rohullah & Vuppu Vinay Pradeep & Shruti Singh & Rajadurai Chandrasekar, 2024. "Mechanically controlled multifaceted dynamic transformations in twisted organic crystal waveguides," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    17. Huai Chen & Mingyang Wei & Yantao He & Jehad Abed & Sam Teale & Edward H. Sargent & Zhenyu Yang, 2022. "Germanium silicon oxide achieves multi-coloured ultra-long phosphorescence and delayed fluorescence at high temperature," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    18. Daowang Peng & Chenglin Gu & Zhong Zuo & Yuanfeng Di & Xing Zou & Lulu Tang & Lunhua Deng & Daping Luo & Yang Liu & Wenxue Li, 2023. "Dual-comb optical activity spectroscopy for the analysis of vibrational optical activity induced by external magnetic field," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    19. Debasish Barman & Mari Annadhasan & Anil Parsram Bidkar & Pachaiyappan Rajamalli & Debika Barman & Siddhartha Sankar Ghosh & Rajadurai Chandrasekar & Parameswar Krishnan Iyer, 2023. "Highly efficient color-tunable organic co-crystals unveiling polymorphism, isomerism, delayed fluorescence for optical waveguides and cell-imaging," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-17, December.
    20. Xuesong Yang & Linfeng Lan & Liang Li & Jinyang Yu & Xiaokong Liu & Ying Tao & Quan-Hong Yang & Panče Naumov & Hongyu Zhang, 2023. "Collective photothermal bending of flexible organic crystals modified with MXene-polymer multilayers as optical waveguide arrays," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-48728-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.