Vitrification-Enabled Stabilization of Persistent Radicals in Chiral Hybrid Zinc Chloride Glass for Enhanced Luminescence Properties

Persistent radicals, species with unpaired electrons, are pivotal for advanced optical and electrical applications but are challenging to stabilize. Herein, we report a melt-quenching vitrification strategy that stabilizes persistent organic radicals within chiral zero-dimensional hybrid zinc chloride glasses, overcoming their intrinsic instability. These radicals are generated via deprotonation-induced organic cations during the vitrification process and are subsequently trapped within the glassy matrix, where they function as continuous electron donors. Compared to crystalline hybrid zinc chloride counterparts, the radical-containing glasses exhibit attractive luminescent properties: a 25-fold enhancement in long lifetime with ultralong persistent luminescence, a 4-fold increase in photoluminescence quantum yield, exceptional thermal emission stability, pronounced circularly polarized luminescence, and a 4 orders of magnitude enhancement in electrical conductivity. This work establishes melt-quenching vitrification as a novel strategy for stabilizing persistent radical materials with integrated functionalities.