Multiple immobilized borate composites achieving Color-Tunable long afterglow in aqueous media for bioimaging and anti-counterfeiting

Abstract

The afterglow phenomenon has garnered significant attention due to its exceptional luminescent properties, yet achieving long-lived and color-tunable afterglow in aqueous media remains a challenging task. In this article, we present a facile hydrothermal strategy for the preparation of borate afterglow materials (APB@CC) using ammonium pentaborate and cyanuric chloride as starting materials. The resultant APB@CC displays color-tunable long afterglows from blue to green in aqueous media. Further studies show that the synergistic effect of covalent and hydrogen bonds effectively promotes the immobilization and rigidification of the triplet state, enabling afterglow emission in aqueous media. Encouraged by color-tunability in solutions, we implemented their potential applications in bioimaging and anti-counterfeiting. This work not only provides insights for extending borate afterglow materials in aqueous media, but also will facilitate the development of high signal-to-noise bioimaging and advanced anti-counterfeiting techniques.