title: Solid-state emissive B,S-bridged p-terphenyls: synthesis, properties, and utility as bifunctional fluorescent sensor for Hg2+ and F- ions.
abstract: The efficient synthesis has been disclosed to achieve a new class of ladder-type molecules, B,S-bridged p-terphenyls (BS-TPs). Their properties were fully characterized by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy in both solution and solid state, time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, DFT theoretical calculations, and cyclic voltammetry. A detailed comparison between anti-BS-TP and its analogue B,N-bridged p-terphenyl (BN-TP) was made to elucidate the effect of displacement of bridging N with S atom on the properties. The introduction of S rather than N atom as bridging atom leads to increased fluorescence efficiency in both solution and solid state as well as enhanced reduction stability. And thus this new class of ladder-type molecules are highly emissive in both solution and solid state and display reversible reduction wave in cyclic voltammograms, denoting their promising potentials as electron-transporting solid-state emitters. In addition, this new class of molecules are capable of detecting F(-) and Hg(2+) with different fluorescence responses, owing to the high Lewis acidity of the B center to coordinate with F(-) anions and the great mercury-philicity of the S center to complex with Hg(2+) cations.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Special Functional Aggregated Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University , Jinan 250100, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dong-Mei
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hong-Xiang
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiao-Zhang
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Cui-Hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Zhao