Single-Component Coordination Polymers with Excitation Wavelength- and Temperature-Dependent Long Persistent Luminescence toward Multilevel Information Security

Metal–organic hybrid materials with long persistent luminescence (LPL) properties have attracted a lot of attention due to their enormous potential for applications in information encryption, anticounterfeiting, and other correlation fields. However, achieving multimodal luminescence in a single component remains a significant challenge. Herein, we report two two-dimensional LPL coordination polymers: {[Zn2(BA)2(BIMB)2]·2H2O}n (1) and {[Cd(BA)(BIMB)]·3H2O}n (2) (BIMB = 1,3-bis(imidazol-1-yl)benzene; BA = butanedioic acid). Their LPL colors can be adjusted by the excitation wavelength or temperature variation in a single-component coordination polymer, achieving multimode color adjustment from green to orange or blue to yellow. X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis and theoretical calculations demonstrate that abundant intermolecular interactions, ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (LLCT) transitions, and heavy atom effects of the central metal can realize multicolor afterglow. This work provides a convenient strategy for new pattern multicolor LPL materials and may also inspire new ideas for advanced information encryption technologies.