Vortex‐Enabled Nonreciprocal Circularly Polarized Luminescence in Achiral Polymer Systems

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Abstract
Nonreciprocal circularly polarized luminescence (orientation‐dependent circular polarization with sign reversal) holds great promise for advanced photonic applications, as it breaks optical reciprocity and enables directional control over chiral light. However, its development has been hindered by weak dissymmetry factors, reliance on external fields, or intricate synthetic procedures. Herein, a vortex‐flow‐followed‐by‐rapid‐quenching strategy is reported in achiral polycyclic‐aromatic‐hydrocarbon‐doped polyethylene naphthalate, where vortex‐stirring generates intrinsic structural antisymmetry that yields mirrored circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) responses (|g lum | = 1.23×10 −2 ) in the absence of chiral chemical structures. The nonreciprocal CPL depends on three fundamental requirements: sufficient charge transfer (CT) effects governing linear dichroism (LD) at the dopant‐polymer interface; rapid‐quench‐fixed polymer orientation enabling linear birefringence (LB); and vortex‐induced chain alignment with through‐thickness orientation asymmetry—achieved via free‐surface/fixed‐interface confinement. Within this configuration, vortex chirality governed both the phase difference between LB and LD interference contributions and the chiral directionality of the resulting CPL emission. In addition, COR@PEN and H‐COR@PEN demonstrate visible‐light excitation for ultralong organic phosphorescence (UOP) (τ = 4.2 and 3.0 s, respectively) coexisting with thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). This work establishes nonreciprocal CPL in achiral polymer melts, creating a versatile materials platform for developing smart nonreciprocal photonic systems with advanced optical functionality.
Funding Information
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (52022114)

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