凝聚态发光稳定有机自由基的研究进展与挑战

Advances and Challenges of Stable Organic Radicals with Luminescence in the Condensed State

摘要

稳定的开壳有机发光自由基由于其独特的电子结构及自旋允许的发光特性, 在光电器件、 量子信息和自旋相关功能材料领域展现出重要的研究价值. 然而, 该类体系在凝聚态中普遍面临聚集诱导猝灭(ACQ)问题, 严重限制了其实际应用. 与低浓度物理掺杂等策略相比, 近年来以分子层面化学结构调控为核心的研究逐渐成为突破方向. 例如, 通过构筑自由基聚合物实现自旋中心的有效分散或借助精细分子设计调控立体位阻和分子堆积方式实现稳定高效的凝聚态发光. 本文系统总结了相关体系的光物理行为、 调控机制及关键材料设计原则, 并分析了当前面临的挑战与潜在应用, 以便为发光自由基材料由基础研究迈向实际应用提供参考.

Abstract

Stable organic luminescent radicals have emerged as a distinctive class of functional emitters owing to their unconventional electronic structures and spin-allowed radiative transitions， thereby enabling promising opportunities for optoelectronics， spin-related photonics， and quantum technologies. However， severe aggregation-caused quenching（ACQ） in the condensed state—driven by intensified intermolecular interactions and enhanced nonradiative deactivation—remains a major obstacle to practical implementation. Moving beyond low-loading physical doping strategies， recent advances increasingly emphasize molecular-level chemical regulation as a fundamental approach to address ACQ. Two effective directions have emerged： （i） constructing radical polymers to spatially isolate spin centers by creating protective microenvironments， and （ii） precision molecular design to tailor steric profiles and packing motifs， thereby modulating intermolecular coupling and suppressing nonradiative loss. This review summarizes the condensed-state photophysical behaviors of organic luminescent radicals， mechanistic insights into ACQ suppression and emission regulation， as well as key design principles across molecular， polymeric， and hybrid radical systems. Remaining challenges and emerging opportunities in bioimaging， optoelectronic devices， and quantum or spin-enabled applications are also discussed to facilitate the translation from fundamental studies toward practical platforms.

关键词

发光自由基 / 凝聚态发光 / 聚集诱导猝灭 / 自由基聚合物 / 分子结构设计

Key words

Luminescent radical / Condensed-state luminescence / Aggregation-caused quenching / Radical polymer / Molecular structure design