Magnetoluminescence in organic radical emitters

Magnetoluminescence (MagLum) arising from ground-state spin polarization in organic radical emitters represents a striking departure from the behavior of conventional closed-shell luminophores. This emergent phenomenon not only highlights the unique photophysical landscape of open-shell systems but also points to transformative opportunities in spin optoelectronics, magnetic sensing, and quantum technologies. Current studies indicate that MagLum in organic radical emitters can be broadly categorized into two mechanistic classes. In the first, aggregation-induced MagLum originates from the formation of excited-state complexes or oligomers arising from intermolecular interactions between monoradical systems. In the second, single-molecule MagLum is driven by intramolecular exchange interactions within high-spin (S ≥ 1) emissive radicals, such as covalently linked diradical or triradical units. In this perspective, we summarize key advances in these two MagLum mechanisms, discuss the challenges in achieving room-temperature MagLum and spin-optoelectronic devices, and highlight future opportunities to leverage these spin–photon interactions for applications in spin-based optoelectronics, ultrasensitive magnetic detection, and molecular quantum technologies.