A Unimolecular Platform Enabling Three-Primary-Color Luminescent Photoconversion

Stimuli-responsive luminescent materials have attracted considerable interest due to their high sensitivity and fast response. However, most reported systems exhibit limited shifts in luminescence wavelength and intensity upon external stimulation, restricting their practical applications. Herein, we synthesized an ortho-pyridylphenol derivative bearing a para-position pyrene group, which displays multistage luminescence photoconversion from blue to red and finally to green. Theoretical and experimental investigations revealed that this primary-color luminescence conversion is mainly induced by the interaction of intermolecular hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking triggered by solvents or light, with photoinduced excited-state proton transfer being crucial for the red emission. Based on this multicolor luminescence property, we constructed a white-light-emitting system from a unimolecular Platform. This unique multistage three-primary-color luminescence conversion can be anticipated to exhibit broad application prospects, such as data security and protection.