title: New electron-donor/acceptor-substituted tetraphenylethylenes: aggregation-induced emission with tunable emission color and optical-waveguide behavior.
abstract: Herein, we report the synthesis of new tetraphenylethylene derivatives 1-5 that feature electron-donating (methoxy) and -accepting (dicyanomethane) groups as AIE-active molecules with tunable emission colors. The crystal structures of compounds 3 and 4 are described and the intermolecular interactions within their crystals agree with the observation that they exhibit strong solid-state emission. Compounds 1-4 exhibit typical AIE behavior and their emission maxima are red-shifted in the order: 1<2<3<4. Such red-shifts are ascribed to the fact that intramolecular interactions between the electron donor and the electron acceptor become stronger with increasing number of methoxy groups. The solid-state emission colors of compounds 1-4 are successfully tuned from yellow-green to red. Compound 5 shows AIE behavior, but its emission is only slightly enhanced after aggregation and its solid shows a low quantum yield. Furthermore, microplates of compound 3 exhibit 2D optical-waveguide behavior.
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Organic Solids Laboratory and Photochemistry Laboratory, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (P. R. China), Fax: (+86) 10-62562693.
authors.forename: Xinggui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Guanxin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chuang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yongli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Yongsheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Deqing
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: aggregation; electronic structure; emission; structure-activity relationships; tetraphenylethylenes