A 3D Phosphorescent Supramolecular Organic Framework in Aqueous Solution

Abstract

AbstractSupramolecular organic framework (SOF) has recently garnered significant research interest in the field of luminescent materials. However, SOF with room‐temperature phosphorescence emission in solution is very rare due to the quenching of dissolved oxygen and free molecular motions, which would lead to nonradiative deactivation of triplet exciton in liquid state. In this work, a 3D cationic phosphorescent SOF is synthesized through host‐guest interaction between CB[8] and a tetrahedral monomer TBBP, which can rapidly adsorb anionic guests in solution. When anionic dyes are introduced, triplet to singlet Förster resonance energy transfer (TS‐FRET) in solution can be achieved, and delayed fluorescence with large Stokes shift can be realized. Additionally, when anionic drugs are introduced, the phosphorescence of TBBP‐CB[8] can be quenched due to charge transfer, enabling the detection of drugs through phosphorescence signals. Taking advantage of the fast adsorption property of 3D SOF, an INHIBIT logic gate with three inputs and two outputs is constructed. These findings provide a novel method to prepare phosphorescent functional materials and a new pathway to construct TS‐FRET system in solution.