8-Hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulphonate and octanesulphonate co-assembled layered double hydroxide and its controllable solid-state luminescence by hydrothermal synthesis

8-Hydroxy-pyrene-1,3,6-trisulphonate (HPTS) and octanesulphonate (OS) have been co-intercalated into the ZnAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) host by a hydrothermal co-precipitation method, with samples denoted as HPTS (x%)-OS/Zn₂Al-LDH (x stands for the molar percentage content of HPTS with respect to total amount of HPTS and OS). The structure and chemical compositions of the as-prepared compounds were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and elemental analysis. The steady-state and time-decay fluorescent studies show that HPTS (2%)-OS/Zn₂Al-LDH has the optimal luminous emission and the longest fluorescent lifetime. Moreover, these samples exhibit controllable dual fluorescence between the blue and green regions upon changing the interlayer HPTS content, external pH values, and host–guest interaction, illustrating that these organic–inorganic samples have potential application in the field of tunable solid luminescent materials.