White-light emission strategy of a single organic compound with aggregation-induced emission and delayed fluorescence properties.

A novel white-light-emitting organic molecule, which consists of carbazolyl- and phenothiazinyl-substituted benzophenone (OPC) and exhibits aggregation-induced emission-delayed fluorescence (AIE-DF) and mechanofluorochromic properties was synthesized. The CIE color coordinates of OPC were directly measured with a non-doped powder, which presented white-emission coordinates (0.33, 0.33) at 244 K to 252 K and (0.35, 0.35) at 298 K. The asymmetric donor-acceptor-donor' (D-A-D') type of OPC exhibits an accurate inherited relationship from dicarbazolyl-substituted benzophenone (O2C, D-A-D) and diphenothiazinyl-substituted benzophenone (O2P, D'-A-D'). By purposefully selecting the two parent molecules, that is, O2C (blue) and O2P (yellow), the white-light emission of OPC can be achieved in a single molecule. This finding provides a feasible molecular strategy to design new AIE-DF white-light-emitting organic molecules.