Monomer Emission Mechanism Research of Tetraphenylethene Derivative with Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Polymer Microspheres

The monomer emission property of the tetraphenylethene (TPE) derivative is rarely reported, and its photoluminescence (PL) mechanism related to supramolecular self-assembly needs further in-depth research. Two long alkyl chain modified derivatives, the TPE derivative (TPE-C 10 ) and pyrene derivative (Pyrene-C 10 ), are designed and synthesized, which possess similar supramolecular assembly behavior but exhibit different PL properties. TPE-C 10 not only forms self-assembly morphologies with monomer emission but also emits aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Moreover, the polymer microspheres containing TPE-C 10 and Pyrene-C 10 are prepared, which can dissolve or swell in different organic solvents. The changed binding effect of polymer chains achieves the luminescence transformation of TPE-C 10 from AIE to monomer emission. This work hopefully can enrich luminescent materials based on the monomer emission of the TPE derivative and provide a new method for mechanism studies about supramolecular self-assembly and luminescence.