Room-Temperature Phosphorescence from Bamboo Fibers and Designed Materials

Recent developments in room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) from biobased polymers have shown great promise in realizing sustainable RTP systems. Here, we introduce an efficient “top-down” method to achieve RTP biofibers using bamboo following partial delignification (B-fibers). The photophysical characterization combined with structural, surface, and chemical inquiries along with DFT calculations revealed the fundamental reasons for RTP, associated with the interactions between cellulose, hemicelluloses, and the residual lignin. Multiple emissive oxygen-containing clusters and aromatic chromophores in the B-fibers were shown to be RTP-active with a lifetime of 294.9 ms. The RTP emission of the B-fibers was found to be sensitive to temperature, excitation, and humidity. Moreover, when combined with a water-soluble fluorescent dye, red afterglow emission was demonstrated under the effect of energy transfer. Following these results, we synthesized functional luminescent materials (paper, films, textiles, and aerogels), proposed herein as practical, sustainable, and compostable choices for photoexcitation in the visible range.