Activating the Room-Temperature Phosphorescence of Organic Dyes through the Confinement Effect of Delignified Wood

Achieving room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) relies heavily on stabilizing the triplet states of organic phosphors through the confinement effect. However, the development of efficient confinement templates with adjustable cavity sizes, environmental friendliness, and ease of processing remains an immense challenge. Herein, we present the exploration of delignified wood (DW) as a confinement template to successfully achieve the RTP of organic dyes. Our findings demonstrate that encapsulating organic dyes within the adjustable nanopores of DW enables the generation of their RTP. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the DW matrix plays a crucial role in stabilizing the triplet state of organic dyes through effective nanospace confinement, hydrogen-bonding interactions, and efficient shielding against moisture and oxygen. Notably, the wood-based RTP composites exhibit exceptional processability, facilitating the precise fabrication of data security and encryption devices by using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. This research establishes fundamental design principles and versatile strategies for developing environmentally friendly and sustainable organic RTP materials.