Supramolecular multicolor luminescent hydrogel based on decamethylcucurbit[5]uril

A cyanostilbene-based guest forms a stable hydrogel with Me 10 Q [5] via portal interactions. • Efficient FRET enables emission color tuning from green to red. • Near-white-light emission achieved at optimized S–RhB doping ratio. • Hydrogel shows strong mechanical stability and ordered microstructure. • Strategy simplifies preparation of tunable multicolor luminescent materials. This study aims to develop a multicolor-tunable luminescent supramolecular hydrogel through host-guest assembly between decamethylcucurbit[5]uril (Me 10 Q[5]) and 4,4′-diaminocyanostilbene hydrochloride (CN-DAB). The hydrogel formation was driven by portal-specific interactions, confirmed via Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra ( 1 H NMR), Fourier-Transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-vis) spectra, with a high binding constant (K a1  = 3.12 × 10 3  L/mol and K a2  = 3.12 × 10 5  L/mol). The resulting hydrogel exhibited aggregation-induced emission at 530 nm. By doping sulforhodamine B (S–RhB) as an acceptor, efficient förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) was achieved, enabling wide-range emission color tuning from green to red. At 0.09 wt% S–RhB, near-white-light emission was obtained with CIE coordinates of (0.35, 0.38) and an energy transfer efficiency of up to 52%. Rheological and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analyses revealed excellent mechanical strength and a porous microstructure. This work provides a simple yet effective strategy for designing multicolor luminescent hydrogels with potential applications in sensing and optoelectronics. Download: Download high-res image (412KB) Download: Download full-size image