Multi-Color Room temperature phosphorescent Silicon-Nanodot-Based nanocomposites with silane tuning and applications to 5D information encryption

•The silicon-nanodot-based nanocomposite materials realized multi-color afterglows (cyan, yellow, orange, and red).•Silane was used owing to triplet-exciton stabilization afforded by covalent Si-C and Si-O bonds.•The microenvironment consisting of the highly rigid network structures played a critical role in reducing the non-radiative relaxation.•The information security systems were established using single-, multiple-, and red-afterglow-based 5D information encryption methods.