Stimulus-responsive multifunctions in a zinc() sulfate complex: photochromism, photoswitching nonlinear optical properties, amine detection and visual film application

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. C, Materials for optical and electronic devices Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 672 - 679
• Main Authors: Liang, Shuai, Yan, Shi-Kun, Wen, Yu-Xuan, Zhao, Yan-Rui, Zhang, Jin, Hu, Ji-Xiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 03.01.2025
• Subjects: Amines; Energy conversion; Functional materials; Light irradiation; Nonlinear optics; Optical properties; Optical switching; Photochromism; Photoluminescence; Second harmonic generation; Visual fields; Visual stimuli
• ISSN: 2050-7526; 2050-7534
• DOI: 10.1039/d4tc04169k

Stimulus-responsive functional materials show broad applications in the fields of sensing, optical switching and energy conversion devices. Herein, a one-dimensional chain compound constructed from the electron-deficient rigid polypyridine ligand 2,4,6-tri(4-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine and electron-rich sulfate was successfully synthesized with reversibly electron transferred photochromic and photoluminescent behaviors. Second-harmonic generation (SHG) active behavior studies showed that the compound exhibits photomodulation of nonlinear optical properties with an impressive high SHG-switching contrast ( ca. 6 times) before and after light irradiation. Furthermore, this compound exhibited selectively vapochromic behavior in response to different amines, allowing its application in a visual recognition detector for specific amines. Based on the photochromic and photoluminescent properties, applications in inkless printing and information encryption were successfully demonstrated. This work shows a facile way to obtain sulfate-based compounds with stimulus-responsive multifunctions, expanding the repertoire of multifaceted chromic materials for advanced visual chromic sensors. A novel complex combining photo- and amine-induced chromic, switchable photoluminescence, and photomodulated nonlinear optical properties has been prepared using electron-rich sulfate and electron-deficient 2,4,6-tri(4-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine.