Tailoring solid-state luminescence of anthracene derivatives via high-pressure crystallography

The aim of this proposal is to (1) determine the high-pressure stabilities of the crystal structures of three polymorphic forms of thiophosphoranyl anthracenes (alpha-AnPS, beta-AnPS, gamma-AnPS), (2) evaluate the pressure-induced changes in the molecular packing and intermolecular interactions, (3) determine the pressure evolution of the pi-stacking distance and anthracene overlap area in the pi-stacked dimers of beta-AnPS and gamma-AnPS, and (4) correlate the structural changes with the solid-state emission properties at high pressure. The proposed study will enable to deduce the effect of structural changes on the emission properties and to fine-tune their photoluminescent properties. Moreover, the proposed project will provide an answer whether by varying the distances between the anthracene molecules as well as their overlap, it is possible to modify the optical effect in a controlled manner.