Multiple Afterglows of Chiral Zinc (II) Halide Enabled by Regulating Coordination Bonds

Zero-dimensional (0D) hybrid halide materials are promising candidates for room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) and hold significant potential for anti-counterfeiting applications. However, conventional anti-counterfeiting methods relying solely on spatial patterns are insufficient to meet rising demands for multidimensional security. Here, we report an excitation-responsive spatiotemporal triple-resolution anti-counterfeiting system based on heterocoordinated zinc-based halides, (R/S-C₁₂H₁₈N₂)ZnCl₂ and (R/S-C₁₂H₂₀N₂)ZnCl₄·H₂O (R/S-C₁₂H₂₀N₂ is (R)-3-Amino-1-benzylpiperidine and (S)-1-Benzyl-3-aminopiperidine). Specifically, (R/S-C₁₂H₂₀N₂)ZnCl₄·H₂O exhibits a broad excitation window and dual afterglow emissions at 455 and 505 nm, while (R/S-C₁₂H₁₈N₂)ZnCl₂ displays blue afterglow at 460 nm. Coordination bond engineering enables tunable excitation-dependent phosphorescence, offering a powerful strategy for advanced time-gated and multilevel anti-counterfeiting applications.