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Long-lived room temperature phosphorescence from organic molecular crystals attracts great attention. Persistent luminescence depends on the electronic properties of the molecular components, mainly π-conjugated donor-acceptor (D-A) chromophores, and their molecular packing. Here, a strategy is developed by designing two isomeric molecular phosphors incorporating and combining a bridge for σ-conjugation between the D and A units and a structure-directing unit for H-bond-directed supramolecular self-assembly. Calculations highlight the critical role played by the two degrees of freedom of the σ-conjugated bridge on the chromophore optical properties. The molecular crystals exhibit RTP quantum yields up to 20 % and lifetimes up to 520 ms. The crystal structures of the efficient phosphorescent materials establish the existence of an unprecedented well-organization of the emitters into 2D rectangular columnar-like supramolecular structure stabilized by intermolecular H-bonding., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A general strategy for simultaneously generating surface-based supramolecular architectures on flat sp(2) -hybridized carbon supports and independently exposing on demand off-plane functionality with controlled lateral order is highly desirable for the noncovalent functionalization of graphene. Here, we address this issue by providing a versatile molecular platform based on a library of new 3D Janus tectons that form surface-confined supramolecular adlayers in which it is possible to simultaneously steer the 2D self-assembly on flat C(sp(2))-based substrates and tailor the external interface above the substrate by exposure to a wide variety of small terminal chemical groups and functional moieties. This approach is validated throughout by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at the liquid-solid interface and molecular mechanics modeling studies. The successful self-assembly on graphene, together with the possibility to transfer the graphene monolayer onto various substrates, should considerably extend the application of our functionalization strategy., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)