Hydrogen‐Bonded Organic Aromatic Frameworks for Ultralong Phosphorescence by Intralayer π–π Interactions

• DOI: 10.1002/ange.201800697
• Publication Date: 2018-02-08T07:52:59Z
• Authors: Suzhi Cai; Huifang Shi; Zaiyong Zhang; Xuan Wang; Huili Ma; Nan Gan; Qi Wu; Zhichao Cheng; Kun Ling; Mingxing Gu; Chaoqun Ma; Long Gu; Zhongfu An; Wei Huang
• Keywords: 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology; 01 natural sciences; 0104 chemical sciences

AbstractUltralong organic phosphorescence (UOP) based on metal‐free porous materials is rarely reported owing to rapid nonradiative transition under ambient conditions. In this study, hydrogen‐bonded organic aromatic frameworks (HOAFs) with different pore sizes were constructed through strong intralayer π–π interactions to enable ultralong phosphorescence in metal‐free porous materials under ambient conditions for the first time. Impressively, yellow UOP with a lifetime of 79.8 ms observed for PhTCz‐1 lasted for several seconds upon ceasing the excitation. For PhTCz‐2 and PhTCz‐3, on account of oxygen‐dependent phosphorescence quenching, UOP could only be visualized in N2, thus demonstrating the potential of phosphorescent porous materials for oxygen sensing. This result not only outlines a principle for the design of new HOFs with high thermal stability, but also expands the scope of metal‐free luminescent materials with the property of UOP.