Transient and Persistent Room‐Temperature Mechanoluminescence from a White‐Light‐Emitting AIEgen with Tricolor Emission Switching Triggered by Light

Abstract Persistent luminescence from purely organic materials is basically triggered by light and electricity, which largely confines its practical applications. A purely organic AIEgen exhibits not only persistent photoluminescence, but also transient and persistent room‐temperature mechanoluminescence. By simply turning on and off a UV lamp, tricolor emission switching between blue, white, and yellow was achieved. The data from single‐crystal structure analysis and theoretical calculation suggest that mechanism of the observed persistent mechanoluminescence (pML) is correlated with the strong spin–orbit coupling of the bromine atom, as well as the formation of H ‐aggregates and restriction of intramolecular motions in noncentrosymmetric crystal structure. These results outline a fundamental principle for the development of new pML materials, providing an important step forward in expanding the application scope of persistent luminescence.