Issue 12, 2022

Triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion in LAPONITE®/PVP nanocomposites: absolute quantum yields of up to 23.8% in the solid state and application to anti-counterfeiting

Abstract

The low quantum efficiency in the solid phase and the highly efficient quenching by oxygen are two major weaknesses limiting the practical applications of triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) upconversion (UC). Herein, we report an organic–inorganic hybrid nanocomposites fabricated by self-assembly of LAPONITE® clay and poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP), which serves as excellent matrix for solid-state TTA-UC even in air. In the hybrid hydrogel doped by TTA-UC components, the anionic acceptors are arranged in an ordered manner at the nano-disk edge through electrostatic attraction, which avoids haphazard accumulation of the acceptors and allows for highly efficient inter-acceptor triplet energy migration. Moreover, the entangled PVP could not only protect the triplet excitons from oxygen quenching but even proactively eliminate oxygen by photoirradiation. Significantly, the dried gel prepared by completely removing water from the hydrogel gave absolute UC quantum efficiencies of up to 23.8% (out of a 50% maximum), which is the highest TTA-UC efficiency obtained in the solid state. The dried gels are readily made into powder by grinding with maintained UC emissions, making them convenient for application to information encryption and anti-counterfeiting security by virtue of the high UC quantum efficiency and insensitivity to oxygen.

Graphical abstract: Triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion in LAPONITE®/PVP nanocomposites: absolute quantum yields of up to 23.8% in the solid state and application to anti-counterfeiting

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
14 jul 2022
Accepted
23 sep 2022
First published
26 sep 2022

Mater. Horiz., 2022,9, 3048-3056

Triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion in LAPONITE®/PVP nanocomposites: absolute quantum yields of up to 23.8% in the solid state and application to anti-counterfeiting

L. Wei, C. Fan, M. Rao, F. Gao, C. He, Y. Sun, S. Zhu, Q. He, C. Yang and W. Wu, Mater. Horiz., 2022, 9, 3048 DOI: 10.1039/D2MH00887D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements