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DOI: https://doi.org/10.6023/A26050172

Review

Chiral Molecular Carbon Imides for Circularly Polarized Luminescence

  • Yilun Zhao ,
  • Zhaohui Wang ,
  • Wei Jiang
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  • aSchool of Chemical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049;
    bDepartment of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084

Received date: 2026-05-21

  Online published: 2026-07-10

Supported by

Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. E5EQ0301X2), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 22275112).

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Abstract

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL), arising from the unequal emission of left- and right-handed circularly polarized light by chiral luminophores, has attracted increasing attention owing to its promising applications in three-dimensional displays, quantum communication, information storage and encryption, bioimaging, and advanced optoelectronic devices. Among various CPL-active materials, chiral molecular carbon imides (CMCIs), derived from rylene diimides (RDI)-based molecular carbon frameworks, have emerged as a unique class of chiral π-conjugated systems. Benefiting from their rigid aromatic skeletons, excellent photochemical stability, large molar extinction coefficients, and tunable molecular structures, CMCIs provide an attractive platform for investigating chirality generation, transmission, amplification, and regulation, while offering opportunities for the development of high-performance CPL materials. In recent years, substantial progress has been achieved in the design and synthesis of CPL-active CMCIs. Through the integration of conjugated fusion and helical distortion strategies, a variety of chiral conjugated helices have been developed, including single-strand chiral conjugated helices (ss-CCHs), double-strand chiral conjugated helices (ds-CCHs), and multiple-strand chiral conjugated helices (ms-CCHs). These systems exhibit diverse topological architectures and distinctive chiroptical properties. Continuous advances in molecular engineering such as enhancing molecular symmetry, introducing heteroatom-annulated structures and constructing multiple chiral centers, have enabled significant improvements in luminescence dissymmetry factors (glum), photoluminescence quantum yields (ΦPL), and CPL brightness (BCPL). This review systematically summarizes recent advances in CPL-active CMCIs and classifies representative systems according to their molecular topologies. The relationships between molecular structures, electronic transitions, and CPL performance are discussed in detail, with attention paid to the molecular origins of chirality generation, transmission, and amplification. Key factors governing luminescence dissymmetry factors and CPL brightness are analyzed from both structural and photophysical perspectives. Finally, the remaining challenges and future opportunities are highlighted, including the synergistic optimization of glum, ΦPL, and BCPL, the development of high-performance near-infrared CPL emitters, and the practical implementation of CMCIs in chiral photonic and optoelectronic technologies.

Key words： chirality; molecular carbon imides; circularly polarized luminescence; luminescence dissymmetry factor; photoluminescence quantum yield

Cite this article

Yilun Zhao , Zhaohui Wang , Wei Jiang . Chiral Molecular Carbon Imides for Circularly Polarized Luminescence[J]. Acta Chimica Sinica, 0 : 2 -2 . DOI: 10.6023/A26050172

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