Multi-Color Room temperature phosphorescent Silicon-Nanodot-Based nanocomposites with silane tuning and applications to 5D information encryption

Abstract

Multi-color phosphorescent materials have received considerable attention owing to their wide range of applications. However, a standardized strategy for producing tunable phosphorescent colors has rarely been developed. Herein, we report the preparation of ingeniously designed silicon-nanodot-based nanocomposite materials with multi-color afterglows (cyan, yellow, orange and red) using a simple hydrothermal method that involves combining silane, dyes and urea. Notably, the silane formed silicon nanodots in situ by participating in the hot-melt recrystallization process of urea, accompanied by the formation of new covalent and hydrogen bonds. These nanodots become immobilized in the rigid network structure formed during urea recrystallization to deliver highly efficient phosphorescence. More impressively, orange and red afterglow materials were successfully synthesized based on the phosphorescence Förster resonance energy transfer principle. These properties led to the establishment of the information security systems using single-, multiple-, and 5D information encryption methods. Given the universality of this method, this standardized strategy not only highlights the potential of constructing multifunctional phosphorescent materials from silane, but also provides a novel design principle for the synthesis of full-color afterglow materials.