Recent advances in long-persistent luminescence materials based on host–guest architecture

Organic long-persistent luminescence (LPL) materials, featuring low preparation cost, eco-friendly synthesis, and easy modification of functional groups, have exhibited extensive applications in information encryption, anti-counterfeiting, and biological imaging. Several design strategies including crystallization-inducement, H-aggregation, and host–guest doping to enhance persistent-room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) effect by precisely controlling intersystem crossing (ISC) constant and suppressing nonradiative decay rates, those are important strategies to enable LPL performance. Among the strategies, researchers have made several efforts to enhance persistent-RTP effect by host–guest interaction, in which the host matrices provide a rigid environment for phosphor guest molecules. The interaction of the luminescent guest molecules with the host matrix can effectively reduce the vibration and rotation of the luminescent molecules, and suppress the non-radiative inactivation, thereby improving the phosphorescence quantum yield. This review aims to summarize several design strategies of pure organic LPL materials based on persistent-RTP effect through host–guest interaction, and describe some applications of pure organic LPL materials in different fields.