Yuxiao Huang, Yi Qian, Yongxin Chang, Jiaqi Yu, Qiongya Li, Mingliang Tang, Xindi Yang, Zhepai Liu, Hui Li, Zece Zhu, Wei Li, Fusheng Zhang,* and Guangyan Qing*

Advanced Materials 2024, DOI: 10.1002/adma.202308742

https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202308742

   Integrating optically active components into chiral photonic cellulose to fabricate circularly polarized luminescent materials has transformative potential in disease detection, asymmetric reactions, and anti-counterfeiting techniques. However, the lack of cellulose-based left-handed circularly polarized light (L-CPL) emissions hampers the progress of these chiral functionalizations. Here, we propose an unprecedented strategy: incorporating a chiral nematic organization of hydroxypropyl cellulose with robust aggregation-induced emission luminogens to generate intense L-CPL emission. By utilizing N, N'-dimethylformamide as a good solvent for both fluorescent components and cellulose matrices, we successfully produce a right-handed chiral nematic structure film with a uniform appearance in reflective and fluorescent states. Remarkably, this system integrates a high asymmetric factor (0.51) and an impressive emission quantum yield (55.8%) into one fascinating composite. More meaningfully, this approach is versatile, allowing for the incorporation of luminogen derivatives emitting L-CPL of multiple colors. These chiral fluorescent films possess exceptional mechanical flexibility (toughness up to 0.9 MJ∙m−3) and structural stability even under harsh environmental exposures, making them promising for the fabrication of various products. Additionally, these films can be cast on the fabrics to reveal multi-level and durable anti-counterfeiting capabilities or used as a chiral light source to induce enantioselective photopolymerization, thereby offering significant potential for practical applications in diverse fields.