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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 international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201915511
Subject(s) - sulfur , photoluminescence , oxygen , luminescence , quantum yield , polysulfide , chemistry , exciton , relaxation (psychology) , materials science , photochemistry , inorganic chemistry , optoelectronics , electrolyte , optics , organic chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , fluorescence , psychology , social psychology , electrode
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.