A team led by Professor YANG Xinyi from the College of Physics at Jilin University (JLU) has successfully induced efficient blue-light emission in phthalic anhydride (PA) crystals with initial non-emission – through high-pressure-induced molecular rearrangement.

The findings were published in Laser & Photonics Reviews. Doctoral student WANG Weibin from JLU’s State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials is the lead author and Professor YANG serves as the corresponding author of the research article titled Brightening Blue Photoluminescence in Non-Emission Phthalic Anhydride by Pressure-Driven Molecular Reassembly.

By applying high pressure, the team was able to alter the molecular structure of PA crystals, preventing aggregation-caused quenching while enhancing their optical properties. YANG’s research group has previously made significant strides in the area of pressure-induced emission in organic materials.

In this study, the application of high pressure triggered a phase transition from orthorhombic to triclinic, causing the PA crystals to emit bright blue light. This transformation improved molecular packing, created new charge transfer pathways, and boosted radiative transition rates while suppressing non-radiative dissipation, leading to the efficient emission of blue light.