Molecular Insertion Regulates the Donor-acceptor Interactions in Cocrystals for the Design of Piezochromic Luminescent Materials

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2021 Jul 3

PMID 34215739

Citations 8

Authors

Chunguang Zhai

Xiu Yin

Shifeng Niu

Mingguang Yao

Shuhe Hu

Jiajun Dong

Yuchen Shang

Zhigang Wang

Quanjun Li

Bertil Sundqvist

Bingbing Liu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Developing a universal strategy to design piezochromic luminescent materials with desirable properties remains challenging. Here, we report that insertion of a non-emissive molecule into a donor (perylene) and acceptor (1,2,4,5-tetracyanobezene) binary cocrystal can realize fine manipulation of intermolecular interactions between perylene and 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobezene (TCNB) for desirable piezochromic luminescent properties. A continuous pressure-induced emission enhancement up to 3 GPa and a blue shift from 655 to 619 nm have been observed in perylene-TCNB cocrystals upon THF insertion, in contrast to the red-shifted and quenched emission observed when compressing perylene-TCNB cocrystals and other cocrystals reported earlier. By combining experiment with theory, it is further revealed that the inserted non-emissive THF forms blue-shifting hydrogen bonds with neighboring TCNB molecules and promote a conformation change of perylene molecules upon compression, causing the blue-shifted and enhanced emission. This strategy remains valid when inserting other molecules as non-emissive component into perylene-TCNB cocrystals for abnormal piezochromic luminescent behaviors.

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