White-light-emitting single molecules are promising materials for use in a new generation of displays and light sources because they offer the possibility of simple fabrication with perfect color reproducibility and stability. To realize white-light emission at the molecular scale, thereby eliminating the detrimental concentration- or environment-dependent energy transfer problem in conventional fluorescent or phosphorescent systems, energy transfer between a larger band-gap donor and a smaller band-gap acceptor must be fundamentally blocked. Here, we present the first example of a concentration-independent ultimate white-light-emitting molecule based on excited-state intramolecular proton transfer materials. Our molecule is composed of covalently linked blue- and orange-light-emitting moieties between which energy transfer is entirely frustrated, leading to the production of reproducible, stable white photo- and electroluminescence.

Metal-free organic phosphorescent materials are attractive alternatives to the predominantly used organometallic phosphors but are generally dimmer and are relatively rare, as, without heavy-metal atoms, spin–orbit coupling is less efficient and phosphorescence usually cannot compete with radiationless relaxation processes. Here we present a general design rule and a method to effectively reduce radiationless transitions and hence greatly enhance phosphorescence efficiency of metal-free organic materials in a variety of amorphous polymer matrices, based on the restriction of molecular motions in the proximity of embedded phosphors. Covalent cross-linking between phosphors and polymer matrices via Diels–Alder click chemistry is devised as a method. A sharp increase in phosphorescence quantum efficiency is observed in a variety of polymer matrices with this method, which is ca. two to five times higher than that of phosphor-doped polymer systems having no such covalent linkage.