Inkjet-Printed Photoluminescent Patterns of Aggregation-Induced-Emission Chromophores on Surface-Anchored Metal–Organic Frameworks

Organic chromophores that exhibit aggregation-induced emission (AIE) are of interest for applications in displays, lighting, and sensing, because they can maintain efficient emission at high molecular concentrations in the solid state. Such advantages over conventional chromophores could allow thinner conversion layers of AIE chromophores to be realized, with benefits in terms of the efficiency of the optical outcoupling, thermal management, and response times. However, it is difficult to create large-area optical quality thin films of efficiently performing AIE chromophores. Here, we demonstrate that this can be achieved by using a surface-anchored metal–organic framework (SURMOF) thin film coating as a host substrate, into which the tetraphenylethylene (TPE)-based AIE chromophore can be printed. We demonstrate that the SURMOF constrains the AIE-chromophore molecular conformation, affording efficient performance even at low loading densities in the SURMOF. As the loading density of the AIE chromophore in the SURMOF is increased, its absorption and emission spectra are tuned due to increased interaction between AIE molecules, but the high photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY = 50% for this AIE chromophore) is maintained. Lastly, we demonstrate that patterns of the AIE chromophore with 70 μm feature sizes can be easily created by inkjet printing onto the SURMOF substrate. These results foreshadow novel possibilities for the creation of patterned phosphor thin films utilizing AIE chromophores for display or lighting applications