Tailoring Electrostatic Attraction Interactions to Activate Persistent Room Temperature Phosphorescence from Doped Polyacrylonitrile Films

Amorphous organic materials exhibiting room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) are good candidates for optoelectronic and biomedical applications. In this proof-of-concept work, we present a rational strategy to activate persistent RTP with a wide range of color from doped films in which electron-rich organic phosphor as donor while electron-deficient polymer matrix as acceptor through electrostatic attraction interactions. By tailoring electrostatic attraction interactions between the donor and acceptor, an ultralong lifetime of 968.1 ms is achieved for doped film TBB-6OMe@PAN. Control experiments combined with theoretical calculations demonstrate that the electrostatic attraction interactions between organic phosphor and polymer matrix should be responsible for the persistent RTP of doped films. Besides, doped films show reversible thermal response and excellent stability in water, indicating an advantage of electrostatic attraction over hydrogen bond in terms of practical application.