Advancing Polymer-Based Luminescent Materials: Room-Temperature Phosphorescence, Conjugated Semiconductors, and Optoelectronic Applications

Luminescent polymers sit at the intersection of synthetic chemistry, photophysics, and device engineering. Polymer-based room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials exploit polymer flexibility and processability together with the long lifetimes and large Stokes shifts of phosphorescent species. Engineering rigid microenvironments, tuning intermolecular interactions, and balancing radiative against non-radiative pathways have been shown to dramatically enhance RTP efficiency and lifetime. In parallel, conjugated and semiconducting polymers continue to drive advances in OLEDs, organic photovoltaics, and bioelectronic interfaces.Fundamental and applied work on RTP polymers, emissive conjugated polymers, and related optoelectronic systems. Contributions should address how molecular architecture, matrix rigidity, and intermolecular interactions govern photophysical behavior; how synthetic strategies deliver multifunctionality (self-healing, mechanical robustness, stretchability); and how these materials translate into practical devices. Both experimental and theoretical studies welcome.• Molecular design principles and synthetic strategies for RTP-active polymers• Regulation of microstructure and matrix rigidity for optimized phosphorescent performance• Mechanistic studies of photophysical processes governing RTP in polymer matrices• Conjugated and semiconducting polymers for OLEDs, OPVs, and emissive devices• Donor–acceptor and ambipolar polymers: structure, charge transport, and emission• Integration of additional functionalities (self-healing, mechanical strength, stretchability)• Advanced characterization and modeling techniques for luminescent polymers• Applications in optoelectronics, sensing, anti-counterfeiting, data storage, and flexible/bioelectronic devices Topic editors: Rui Tian, Shiming Zhang Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81205/advancing-polymer-based-luminescent-materials-room-temperature-phosphorescence-conjugated-semiconductors-and-optoelectronic-applications