Switchable Fluorescence of a Mechanical Stimulus-Responsive Au-P-S Complex

Molecules. 2024 Dec 5;29(23):5736. doi: 10.3390/molecules29235736.

Abstract

The reaction of [(3-bdppmapy)(AuCl)2] with NaHmna (3-bdppmapy = N,N'-bis-(diphenylphosphanylmethyl-3-aminopytidine, H2mna = 2-mercaptonicotinic acid)) resulted in a tetranuclear Au-P-S complex [(3-bdppmapy)2(AuHmna)2(AuCl)2] (1) which emitted bright yellow fluorescence at 542 nm under 377 nm excitation (QY = 5.3%, τ = 0.83 ns). Upon grinding, the emission intensity of 1 significantly and rapidly decreased, but could be recovered by exposure to CH2Cl2 vapor. This switchable fluorescence is attributed to the breaking and reforming of intermolecular hydrogen bonds with concomitant collapse and the restoration of the crystalline phase, which is not caused by static pressure or increased temperature.

Keywords: Ag-P-S complex; photoluminescent material; stimuli-responsive material; switchable luminescence.

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by the Suzhou Science and Technology Plan Project (Grant No. SGC2021016) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21671144).