Photoinduced Radical Emission in a Coassembly System

Developing radical emission at ambient conditions is a challenging task since radical species are unstable in air. In the present work, we overcome this challenge by coassembling a series of tricarbonyl-substituted benzene molecules with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The strong hydrogen bonds between the guest dopants and the PVA host matrix protect the free radicals of carbonyl compounds after light irradiation, leading to strong solid state free radical emission. Changing temperature and peripheral functional groups of the tricarbonyl-substituted benzenes can influence the intensity of the radical emission. Quantum-chemical calculations predict that such free radical fluorescence originates from anti-Kasha D-2 -> D-0 vertical emission by the anion radicals. The photoinduced radical emission by the tricarbonyl-substituted benzenes was successfully utilized for information encryption application.

Automated summary

Developing radical emission at ambient conditions poses a challenge due to the instability of radical species in air. The study demonstrated that coassembling tricarbonyl-substituted benzene molecules with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) can protect free radicals and lead to strong solid state free radical emission. Quantum-chemical calculations predicted the origin of such fluorescence and the photoinduced radical emission was successfully utilized for information encryption application.