Full-color persistent room temperature phosphorescent elastomers with robust optical properties.

Persistent room temperature phosphorescent materials with unique mechanical properties and robust optical properties have great potential in flexible electronics and photonics. However, developing such materials remains a formidable challenge. Here, we present highly stretchable, lightweight, and multicolored persistent luminescence elastomers, produced by incorporating ionic room temperature phosphorescent polymers and polyvinyl alcohol into a polydimethylsiloxane matrix. These prepared elastomers exhibit high optical transparency in daylight and emit bright persistent luminescence after the removal of 365 nm excitation. The homogeneous distribution of polymers within the matrix has been confirmed by confocal fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Mechanical property investigations revealed that the prepared persistent luminescence elastomers possess satisfactory stretchability. Impressively, these elastomers maintain robust optical properties even under extensive and repeated mechanical deformations, a characteristic previously unprecedented. These fantastic features make these persistent luminescence elastomers ideal candidates for potential applications in wearable devices, flexible displays, and anti-counterfeiting.

Controlling the photophysical properties of ionic transition-metal complexes through various counterions.

Ionic transition-metal complexes (iTMCs) with rich excited-state properties and excellent optical properties have attracted considerable attention from both the scientific and industrial community in recent decades. Controlling their photophysical properties is very important for realizing a diverse range of optoelectronic applications. Generally, the optical property modulation of iTMCs is achieved by covalent structural modification of their ligand skeleton. In this feature article, we highlight the full potential of the regulation of the optical properties of iTMCs through changing various counterions, which is demonstrated to be a facile and convenient method. This paper lists different counterions that can be used to tune the emission wavelengths, emission lifetimes, and response behaviors of iTMCs. This paper also summarizes the advances towards multi-level information encryption and high-level anti-counterfeiting applications. Moreover, the recent challenges relating to this topic are examined alongside various future directions. We anticipate that the research provided in this paper will assist in directing future analyses based on the regulation of the photophysical properties of iTMCs in a facile, reproducible, and convenient way.