Triboluminescence and Selective Hydrogen-Bond Responsiveness of Thiochromanone Derivative

Multifunctional materials have been a hot research topic because of their intriguing properties and infinite possibility in various fields. Among them, triboluminescence (TL) material, although known for more than four centuries, has been the most mysterious one. In this study, a thiochromanone derivative (TDI) with planar molecular configuration, which was considered as unlikely to exhibit triboluminescence (TL) because of the aggregation-caused quenching phenomenon, was found to exhibit efficient TL when scraped with a spoon in the dark or under room light. Furthermore, the molecule was sensitive to the O–H hydrogen-bond donor. The emission could be switched from 420 to 470 nm and enhanced in intensity with the presence of oxhydryl. This work may facilitate the understanding of the TL mechanism and guide the design of efficient organic TL material. Additionally, the hydrogen-bond responsiveness of TDI may provide a new path to design the stimuli-responsive system or to be applied in an information cryptosystem.