A Fluorescent Tunable Waterborne Polyurethane-Based Zinc Complex With Wide Ultraviolet Shielding

Fluorescent tunable polymers have wide application prospects in lighting, display, and bioimaging, among which fluorescent tunable polymers with wide UV shielding have received great attention. Herein, 1, 10-Phenanthrolin-5-amine (APhen) is used as the terminal agent to prepare a blue fluorescent polyurethane prepolymer, which is then coordinated with zinc ions to obtain a fluorescent tunable waterborne polyurethane-based zinc complex (WPU-APhen_xZn_y) with wide UV shielding. WPU-APhen_xZn_y has good storage and thermal stability. It is worth noting that WPU-APhen_xZn_y can not only achieve complete shielding of ultraviolet light in the range of 200–400 nm but even extend the shielding range to the visible light range of 408 nm. Curiously, by adjusting the degree of coordination of zinc ionization, the fluorescence color can be controlled from blue to yellow. Furthermore, the fluorescence lifetime of WPU-APhen_xZn_y decreases with the increase in the degree of coordination zinc ionization. Importantly, WPU-APhen_xZn_y uses water as a dispersant and is an environmentally friendly material with both anti-counterfeiting and UV shielding.