Producing sustainable room temperature phosphorescent materials using natural wood and sucrose

Producing room temperature phosphorescent materials from natural sources is essential for sustainability. However, either toxic chemical reagents or complicated processing is still required to produce such phosphorescent materials derived from natural resources. Here, we produce sustainable room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials from wood and sugar. Specifically, sugar is introduced into a wood matrix, which confines the lignin in the wood matrix in situ. As a result, the treated wood (sucrose wood [S-wood]) exhibited RTP emissions with a lifetime of ∼284.4 ms. Life cycle carbon analysis indicates that ∼8.1–11.2 kg CO2 is produced during the preparation of S-wood, which is lower than for other similar materials. Moreover, the S-wood could be naturally degraded in the soil over 40 days. As a demonstration of the practical potential, S-wood is used for visual decorations and anti-counterfeiting applications. [Display omitted] •Sucrose is introduced into the wood to produce natural RTP materials (S-wood)•S-wood is produced with low CO2 emission and is degradable in soil•S-wood is used for visual decorations and anti-counterfeiting applications Developing sustainable room temperature phosphorescent materials is crucial but difficult. Here, Yin et al. report the fabrication of sustainable room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials (S-wood) with a lifetime of 284.2 ms via introducing sucrose into the wood. The preparation of S-wood generates low CO2 emissions. Moreover, the S-wood is completely degradable in soil.