Room-Temperature Phosphorescence Based on Doping Systems: Material Design, Mechanisms, and Applications

Abstract

Room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials have emerged as a research frontier due to their unique advantages like millisecond-to-second phosphorescence lifetimes, yet early studies were constrained by non-radiative transitions and environmental interference. The introduction of doping strategies, particularly host-guest doping, revolutionized the field by inhibiting non-radiative decay through matrix rigidity and heavy-atom effects to promote intersystem crossing and stabilize triplet states. This review systematically synthesizes doping-based RTP materials, covering small-molecule host-guest systems, polymer matrices, supramolecular self-assemblies, and nanoscale doping, with mechanisms focusing on intersystem crossing regulation and energy transfer. Applications span optoelectronic devices, anti-counterfeiting, intelligent sensing, and bioimaging, utilizing features like time-resolved detection and multi-stimuli responsiveness. Current challenges include precise host-guest interaction control, unified theoretical frameworks, and scalable synthesis, with future directions emphasizing rational material design to accelerate practical translation.