Chapter 12
White-Light Emissive Materials Based
on Supramolecular Approach
Yuji Kubo
Abstract In material science, organic compound-based white-light emission (WLE)
systems that emit in the entire visible region have received much attention due to
low-cost, lightweight, easy fabrication of thin film, and so on. Synthesis of single
molecules with WLE function has been still a challenge because of constraints
imposed by Kasha’s rule, whereas it is easier to fabricate multicomponent-based
emissive systems. In the latter case, supramolecular organization of the related
components is promising, where well-tailored intermolecular interactions between
them would tune their interplay on the physical properties to give WLE. Toward this
end, the use of Förester resonance energy transfer (FRET) is benefitable for the interplay between the emissive components. Significant overlap between the emission
spectrum of donor dye and absorption band of adjacent acceptor one is indispensable. This chapter describes supramolecular ensembles capable of tuning the primary
colors, i.e., red, green, and blue, or two complementary colors, e.g., cyan and orange,
with dynamic and reversible non-covalent bonds involving hydrogen bonds, metal
coordination, electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic interactions, and π–π stacking
interactions. Emissive systems other than FRET behavior are also introduced in this
chapter.
Keywords White-light emission · Supramolecular chemistry · Energy transfer ·
Self-assembly
12.1 Introduction
Design and development of white-light emission (WLE) materials have become one
of the emerging research areas in solid-state lighting, flat-panel display devices,
and backlights for liquid crystalline display (Forrest and Thompson 2007; Xiao
et al. 2011; Xia et al. 2016; Su et al. 2016; Farinola and Ragni 2011; Wu et al.
2009; Reineke et al. 2009). White-light is composed of the three primary colors:
Y. Kubo (B)
Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Urban Environmental Sciences, Tokyo
Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-Osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
e-mail: yujik@tmu.ac.jp
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
Y. Ooyama and S. Yagi (eds.), Progress in the Science of Functional Dyes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4392-4_12
409
White-Light Emissive Materials Based
on Supramolecular Approach
Yuji Kubo
Abstract In material science, organic compound-based white-light emission (WLE)
systems that emit in the entire visible region have received much attention due to
low-cost, lightweight, easy fabrication of thin film, and so on. Synthesis of single
molecules with WLE function has been still a challenge because of constraints
imposed by Kasha’s rule, whereas it is easier to fabricate multicomponent-based
emissive systems. In the latter case, supramolecular organization of the related
components is promising, where well-tailored intermolecular interactions between
them would tune their interplay on the physical properties to give WLE. Toward this
end, the use of Förester resonance energy transfer (FRET) is benefitable for the interplay between the emissive components. Significant overlap between the emission
spectrum of donor dye and absorption band of adjacent acceptor one is indispensable. This chapter describes supramolecular ensembles capable of tuning the primary
colors, i.e., red, green, and blue, or two complementary colors, e.g., cyan and orange,
with dynamic and reversible non-covalent bonds involving hydrogen bonds, metal
coordination, electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic interactions, and π–π stacking
interactions. Emissive systems other than FRET behavior are also introduced in this
chapter.
Keywords White-light emission · Supramolecular chemistry · Energy transfer ·
Self-assembly
12.1 Introduction
Design and development of white-light emission (WLE) materials have become one
of the emerging research areas in solid-state lighting, flat-panel display devices,
and backlights for liquid crystalline display (Forrest and Thompson 2007; Xiao
et al. 2011; Xia et al. 2016; Su et al. 2016; Farinola and Ragni 2011; Wu et al.
2009; Reineke et al. 2009). White-light is composed of the three primary colors:
Y. Kubo (B)
Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Urban Environmental Sciences, Tokyo
Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-Osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
e-mail: yujik@tmu.ac.jp
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
Y. Ooyama and S. Yagi (eds.), Progress in the Science of Functional Dyes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4392-4_12
409