Maximizing Room-Temperature Red Phosphorescence in Contorted Hexabenzocoronene Derivatives

Authors

• Marko R. Ivancevic, Princeton University
• Moses D. Ogbaje, University of KentuckyFollow
• Jesse A. Wisch, Princeton University
• Daniel G. Oblinsky, Princeton University
• Alice S. Fergerson, Princeton University
• Emily C. Davidson, Princeton University
• Gregory D. Scholes, Princeton University
• Barry P. Rand, Princeton University
• Chad Risko, University of KentuckyFollow
• Quinn C. Burlingame, Princeton UniversityFollow
• Yueh Lin Loo, Princeton UniversityFollow

Abstract

Organic molecules exhibiting second-scale room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) in the red/near-infrared are particularly rare because low-energy excited states that are characteristic of these chromophores are susceptible to nonradiative deactivation. Here, we observe second-scale red RTP from contorted hexabenzocoronene (cHBC) embedded in a rigid polymer. This RTP is uniquely efficient as approximately 23% of the steady-state photoluminescence originates from triplets. We propose that this efficient triplet generation stems from intersystem crossing (ISC) that outcompetes symmetry-forbidden fluorescence. Density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory calculations suggest that ISC occurs from the lowest energy singlet state of cHBC into a nearly resonant triplet state. Perdeuterating cHBC substitutes C–H stretches with lower-energy C–D stretches, which further suppresses nonradiative recombination and prolongs red RTP. The phosphorescence lifetime of perdeuterated cHBC-polymer composites exceeds 5 s, and has a steady-state phosphorescence fraction of 44%.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-9-2026

Notes/Citation Information

Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1021/acs.chemmater.6c00904

Archival?

Archival

Repository Citation

Ivancevic, Marko R.; Ogbaje, Moses D.; Wisch, Jesse A.; Oblinsky, Daniel G.; Fergerson, Alice S.; Davidson, Emily C.; Scholes, Gregory D.; Rand, Barry P.; Risko, Chad; Burlingame, Quinn C.; and Loo, Yueh Lin, "Maximizing Room-Temperature Red Phosphorescence in Contorted Hexabenzocoronene Derivatives" (2026). Chemistry Faculty Publications. 229.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/chemistry_facpub/229