Piezochromic luminescence behavior based on the molecular conformation change of nitro-triphenylamine

Abstract

Mechanoresponsive luminescent (MRL) materials have become a high-profile research system in the fields of force sensing, anti-counterfeiting, and optical information storage because of their obvious variety on luminescence intensity or luminescence color under mechanical force. In this work, nitro-triphenylamine (TPA-NO2) crystal was selected to conduct in situ high pressure experiments based on diamond anvil cell combined with theory calculation, and the piezochromism of TPA-NO2 crystal was discussed in detail. During the compression process, the TPA-NO2 crystal showed the piezochromic behavior and a redshift of the emission peak. The mechanical response behavior of TPA-NO2 provides insight into the study of multicolor properties from a structural perspective, offering a clean means of using pressure to modulate different colors and contributing to the exploration of high-potency MRL materials.