Shuzhan Chen, Yi Shi, Huayang Liang, Huamiao Lin, Peng Geng*, Dan Luo*, Haichuang Lan, Shuzhang Xiao*

Cite this article: Chin. J. Struct. Chem., 2026, 45(7), 100919. DOI: 10.1016/j.cjsc.2026.100919

Publication date: July 1, 2026

Keywords: Room-temperature phosphorescence; Non-conventional organogel; Halogen bonding; Stimuli-responsive; Dynamic anti-counterfeiting

ABSTRACT

Supramolecular gels exhibiting ultra-long organic room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) are highly sensitive to external stimuli and show great potential for dynamic anti-counterfeiting applications. While our previous work successfully developed several supramolecular organogels with ultra-long RTP properties, their phosphorescence quantum yields remained relatively low, likely due to comparatively weak intermolecular interactions. In this study, two novel halogen-functionalized ultralong RTP organogelator (m-ClPBCM and m-BrPBCM) were designed and synthesized. The introduction of halogen bonding not only preserves the gelation capability but also enhances the phosphorescence quantum yield. Especially, the m-BrPBCM gel exhibits the highest phosphorescence quantum yield (2.12%, surpassing m-ClPBCM at 1.7% and exceeding the non-brominated m-PBCM by more than eightfold), with a lifetime reaching 203.8 ms. Moreover, both wet and dry m-BrPBCM gels display reversible phosphorescence switching upon rapid heating and cooling, demonstrating second-scale stimuli-responsive performance. This work provides promising candidates for dynamic anti-counterfeiting applications.