Synthesis, optical properties, and application of novel chalcone skeleton as pH fluorescent probe: Based AIE + ESIPT strategy

Xiao-Tian Wu; Ying-Ying Zheng; Shan-Shan Ma; Shu-Heng Ai; Qi-Wang Zhou; Di Yang; Chen Ma

doi:10.1016/j.saa.2024.124199

Synthesis, optical properties, and application of novel chalcone skeleton as pH fluorescent probe: Based AIE + ESIPT strategy

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2024 Jun 5:314:124199. doi: 10.1016/j.saa.2024.124199. Epub 2024 Mar 28.

Authors

Xiao-Tian Wu¹, Ying-Ying Zheng¹, Shan-Shan Ma¹, Shu-Heng Ai², Qi-Wang Zhou², Di Yang³, Chen Ma⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Special Functional Aggregated Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, PR China.
² Key Laboratory of Functional Nanomaterials and Technology in Universities of Shandong, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, PR China.
³ Key Laboratory of Functional Nanomaterials and Technology in Universities of Shandong, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, PR China. Electronic address: yangdi@lyu.edu.cn.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Special Functional Aggregated Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, PR China. Electronic address: chenma@sdu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38555822
DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2024.124199

Abstract

A series of "turn off" pH fluorescence probes with chalcone skeleton for basic system have been developed. The molecules emitted bright yellow fluorescence under acidic condition, resulting AIE coupled ESIPT characteristic and ICT process. What's more, the compounds exhibited excellent sensitivity and selectivity for detecting pH as a facile "On-Off" fluorescence probe, and the fluorescence of them were quenched with the ESIPT process interrupted under alkaline condition. Theoretical calculation for the related compounds also performed to verify the electron effect on photophysical properties and confirm the rational speculation on the mechanism.

Keywords: AIE; Chalcone skeleton; ESIPT; pH fluorescence probe.