Retracted Article: Photo-generated radical mediated molecular luminescence enhancement

Abstract

Achieving rapid modulation of molecular luminescence under external stimuli remains a significant challenge in organic luminescent materials. Herein, we present a radical-mediated approach to achieve dynamic fluorescence switching. A series of benzil derivatives (BS, BZ, BD, and BQ) exhibit rapid transitions from nearly non-luminescent states to highly fluorescent states under continuous ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in solution. Notably, the absolute photoluminescence quantum yield of BS solution increased 41-fold, from 1.26% to 51.09%, after 330 s of 365 nm UV exposure. Mechanistic investigations reveal that this unique luminescence enhancement originates from UV-induced generation of aromatic carbonyl radicals. In general, molecules in solution undergo photodegradation with increasing irradiation time, resulting in a decrease in luminescence intensity. In contrast, we report a molecule whose luminescence intensity increases with increasing irradiation time, which is very rare. This work not only advances the mechanistic understanding of stimuli-responsive luminescence but also opens a new avenue for designing smart organic materials with tailored optoelectronic functionalities.

Graphical abstract: Retracted Article: Photo-generated radical mediated molecular luminescence enhancement

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Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
26 Aug 2025
Accepted
24 Oct 2025
First published
30 Oct 2025
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2026

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