An efficient artificial light-harvesting system with tunable emission in water constructed from a H-bonded AIE supramolecular polymer and Nile Red

Chem Commun (Camb). 2020 Oct 14;56(80):12021-12024. doi: 10.1039/d0cc05077f. Epub 2020 Sep 9.

Abstract

With the aid of CTAB amphiphile, water-phase artificial light-harvesting systems were fabricated as nanoparticles by the self-assembly of two low-molecular-weight organic molecules: a UPy-functionalized TPE derivative 1 with both supramolecular polymerization and AIE capabilities as a donor and a fluorescent chromophore NiR as an acceptor. Owing to the flexibility of supramolecular self-assembly, tunable emissions including white-light emission could be easily realized with high energy transfer efficiency and the antenna effect.