Amino Acid Simulated Host–Guest Systems With Full-Color High-Temperature Organic Afterglow

Materials capable of retaining persistent luminescence at high temperatures have attracted extensive attention in recent years. However, because excited-state excitons involved in radiative transitions are easily quenched at elevated temperatures, achieving efficient afterglow emission under high thermal conditions remains a significant challenge. To address this issue, stimulated by the special structure of amino acid, we introduce the strong interactions, amino–carboxylic acid type hydrogen-bonding, into a host-guest doped materials. By doping the guest molecule containing amino groups into the carboxyl-rich host of butane-1,2,3,4-tetracarboxylic acid (denoted as host D), full-color afterglow emission from blue to red is realized at temperatures above 430 K. Because the four carboxyl groups of host D form a highly dense and stable hydrogen-bonded network in the solid state, the doped materials maintain their high-temperature afterglow performance in various non-hydrogen-bond-donating solvents. Benefiting from the full-color persistent emission and temperature-dependent afterglow lifetimes, the materials further enable multidimensional information encryption and transparent liquid flow direction marker applications. The design strategy and results provide useful insights for developing high-temperature phosphorescent materials and highlight their broad potential across diverse platforms.