Solvent‐Regulated CPL Enhancement via Chiral Transfer in Efficient Luminescent Ionic Hydrogen‐Bonded Frameworks for Information Encryption

Why It Matters

The breakthrough demonstrates a scalable route to solid‑state CPL emitters with unprecedented efficiency, unlocking practical applications in secure data encoding and next‑generation optical storage.

Key Takeaways

• Multistage chiral transfer uses hydrogen‑bond bridges
• R/S‑iHOF‑40 achieves 67.8% quantum yield
• Double‑helix supramolecular assembly confirmed by crystal structure
• Water dynamics modulate circularly polarized luminescence
• Material enables solid‑state CPL for information encryption

Pulse Analysis

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) has long been a niche yet promising technology for secure information handling, but most small‑molecule systems suffer from low quantum yields and limited chiral amplification. By integrating a chiral diamine (DPEN) with a sulfonated chromophore inside an ionic hydrogen‑bonded organic framework, the researchers created a hierarchical architecture where hydrogen bonds act as conduits for chirality. This multistage transfer not only overcomes intramolecular confinement but also introduces a charge‑donor effect that narrows the excited‑state energy gap, propelling the quantum yield to an impressive 67.8%.

The structural elegance of R/S‑iHOF‑40 lies in its double‑helix supramolecular arrangement, directly visualized by single‑crystal X‑ray diffraction. The strong mirror cotton effect at 323 nm validates the efficient intermolecular chiral communication, while the presence of water molecules within the lattice adds a dynamic layer of control. As water molecules shift, they perturb hydrogen‑bond networks, subtly adjusting the chiral coupling and thereby modulating CPL intensity. This insight positions hydrogen‑bond dynamics as a powerful, reversible tuning mechanism for solid‑state chiroptical devices.

From a market perspective, the ability to produce high‑efficiency, solid‑state CPL materials opens new avenues for optical data encryption, anti‑counterfeiting tags, and high‑density optical storage. The solvent‑regulated CPL response enables on‑demand adjustment of polarization states, a feature valuable for adaptive security systems. Moreover, the scalable iHOF platform could be adapted to other chromophores, accelerating the commercialization of chiral photonic technologies across telecommunications, display manufacturing, and quantum information processing.