Full-color and switchable phosphorescence of carbene-metal-amide-based bimetallic gold(I) complexes with dynamic through-space interaction

Abstract

Regulating through-space interactions offers a promising strategy for designing multifunctional luminescent materials. However, integrating stimuli-responsive photophysical behaviors into such systems remains challenging. In this study, a series of carbene-metal-amide bimetallic Au(I) complexes featuring dynamic through-space interactions is reported that enable aggregation-induced emission and full-color-tunable photoactivated phosphorescence. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction combined with theoretical calculations reveals conformationally adaptive frameworks that facilitate ligand rotational freedom (carbazole) and N-heterocyclic carbene conformational flexibility, enabling precise modulation of intramolecular through-space interactions. These complexes exhibit multi-stimuli-responsive phosphorescence, allowing reversible, on-demand switching of emission color and intensity across molecular and macroscopic scales. By strategically blending phosphors, white-light emission with a CIE 1931 coordinate of (0.30, 0.31) is achieved. The materials further demonstrate time-resolved information encryption capabilities, making them ideal for light-activated printing and high-security anti-counterfeiting inks. This work advances the rational design of smart luminescent platforms for applications in optoelectronics, sensing, and photonic security.