Utilising tetraphenylethene as a dual activator for intramolecular charge transfer and aggregation induced emission

Chem Commun (Camb). 2012 Aug 11;48(62):7711-3. doi: 10.1039/c2cc33218c. Epub 2012 Jun 29.

Abstract

We report a simple design and synthesis of a donor-acceptor tetraphenylethene-naphthalimide (TPE-NI) dyad, in which TPE acts both as an electron-donor for intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and activator for aggregation induced emission (AIE). Strong solvent-dependent photoluminescence covering almost the whole visible spectrum and AIE in its nanoparticle state compared to its solution state are demonstrated.