Premium
Two‐Step Oxidation Synthesis of Sulfur with a Red Aggregation‐Induced Emission
Author(s) -
Wang Zhenguang,
Zhang Chuanchuan,
Wang Henggang,
Xiong Yuan,
Yang Xinjian,
Shi Yue,
Rogach Andrey L.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201915511
Subject(s) - sulfur , photoluminescence , luminescence , oxygen , quantum yield , chemistry , polysulfide , yield (engineering) , photochemistry , inorganic chemistry , materials science , organic chemistry , electrolyte , fluorescence , optoelectronics , physics , electrode , quantum mechanics , metallurgy
Sulfur is not normally considered a light‐emitting material, even though there have been reports of a dim luminescence of this compound in the blue‐to‐green spectral region. Now, it is shown how to make red‐emissive sulfur by a two‐step oxidation approach using elemental sulfur and Na 2 S as starting materials, with a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 7.2 %. Polysulfide is formed first and is partially transformed into Na 2 S 2 O 3 in the first step, and then turns back to elemental S in the second step. The elevated temperature and relatively oxygen‐deficient environment during the second step transforms Na 2 S 2 O 3 into Na 2 SO 3 incorporated with oxygen vacancies, thus resulting in the formation of a solid‐state powder consisting of elemental S embedded in Na 2 SO 3 . It shows aggregation‐induced emission properties, attributed to the influence of oxygen vacancies on the emission dynamics of sulfur by providing additional lower energy states that facilitate the radiative relaxation of excitons.