Ultralong phosphorescence cellulose with excellent anti-bacterial, water-resistant and ease-to-process performance

Herein, we present a phosphorescent cationized cellulose derivative by simply introducing ionic structures, including cyanomethylimidazolium cations and chloride anions, into cellulose chains. The imidazolium cations with the cyano group and nitrogen element promote inter-system crossing. The cyano-containing cations, chloride anions and hydroxyl groups of cellulose form multiple hydrogen bonding interactions and electrostatic attraction interactions, effectively inhibiting the non-radiative transitions. The resultant cellulose-based RTP material is easily processed into phosphorescent films, fibers, coatings and patterns by using eco-friendly aqueous solution processing strategies. Furthermore, after we construct a cross-linking structure by adding a small amount of glutaraldehyde as the cross-linking agent, the as-fabricated phosphorescent patterns exhibit excellent antibacterial properties and water resistance. Therefore, considering the outstanding biodegradability and sustainability of cellulose materials, cellulose-based easy-to-process RTP materials can act as antibacterial, water-resistant, and eco-friendly phosphorescent patterns, coatings and bulk materials, which have enormous potential in advanced anti-counterfeiting, information encryption, disposable smart labels, etc.