In this work we present a study on the effect of the aggregation on the optical properties of star-shaped molecules. We analyzed the modification of the absorption and fluorescent properties of a 1,3,5-tristyrylbenzene core due to the formation of diverse aggregates. The nature of the aggregates in solution was investigated by different spectroscopic techniques such as electronic absorption, steady-state fluorescence, fluorescence anisotropy, time-resolved fluorescence, small-angle X-ray scattering, and dynamic lightscattering spectroscopy. In order to simulate the molecular arrangement of the aggregates, the structure and electronic properties of different clusters formed by stacking of starshaped molecules were studied by means of density functional theory calculations. The theoretical insight was performed in the gas phase as well as in solution through the polarizable continuum model, and both linear response and state-specific polarization schemes were applied. In the solid state, high quantum yields of up to 0.51 were measured for a 1,3,5-tristyrylbenzene derivative. Finally, the morphological properties of different solid samples were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry, as well as scanning and transmission electron microscopies.

The dependence of the fluorescence on pH for two 1,3,5-tristyrylbenzenes decorated with polyamine (compound 1) and poly­(amidoamine) (compound 2) chains at the periphery was investigated. The highest fluorescence intensities were observed under acidic conditions because electrostatic repulsions between positively charged molecules reduce the fluorescence quenching. The slopes observed in the fluorescence pH titration curves were associated with deprotonation of the different types of amine groups, which results in quenching by photoinduced electron transfer and aggregation processes. The linear dependence of fluorescence lifetime observed for different pH ranges is a valuable property for applications in the field of fluorescence lifetime sensors and imaging microscopy. The influence of the pH and the peripheral chains on the aggregation processes was also analyzed by absorption and emission spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering measurements, and transmission electron microscopy. For compound 1, bands associated with the formation of aggregates were detected along with micrometric aggregates surrounded by fibers with lattice fringes typical of columnar mesophases. For compound 2, which contains longer peripheral chains with a higher degree of branching, aggregates with lower internal order were observed. In this case, the peripheral chains hindered aggregation by π-stacking although the amine groups did allow hydrogen bonding.

The syntheses of three water-soluble cruciform fluorophores (XF) carrying aniline- N, N-bisacetic acid, 2-hydroxyaniline- N, N, O-trisacetic acid, and 1,2-phenylenediamine- N, N, N', N'-tetrakisacetic acid are reported. The XF skeleton was synthesized by a Horner reaction to assemble the distyrylbenzene unit followed by a Sonogashira coupling to attach the phenyleneethynylene modules. The photophysics of both the sodium salts and the ethyl esters of the three carboxylated 1,4-bis(aminostyryl)-2,5-bis(phenylethynyl)benzenes were investigated in chloroform and in aqueous buffered solution at a pH of 7.0 and compared to that of 1,4-bis(dibutylaminostyryl)-2,5-bis(phenylethynyl)benzene (BDB). The attachment of the carboxylate units to the aniline nitrogens influenced the photophysics and the sensory responses of the XFs, as the combined effect of steric bulk and charge repulsion led to a blue-shifted absorption when compared to that of BDB. While the fluorescence of the water-soluble XFs is sensitive toward metal cations, the mode of sensing action is different from that of BDB, where direct complexation to the aniline nitrogen lowers the energy of the HOMO (but not of the LUMO), leading to a blue-shifted emission. In the case of the 2-hydroxyaniline- N, N, O-trisacetic acid and 1,2-phenylenediamine- N, N, N', N'-tetrakisacetic acid-functionalized XFs, interaction with metal cations in aqueous buffered solution is guided by a breakup of excimers that form in water at XF concentrations as low as 50 micromol x L (-1).

Five new, unsymmetrical 1,4-distyryl-2,5-bisphenylethynylbenzenes (cruciforms, XF) have been prepared by a sequential Horner reaction of the bisphosphonate of 2,5-diiodo-1,4-xylene with two different aromatic aldehydes. The obtained diiodide was coupled to phenylacetylene under Sonogashira conditions with (Ph(3)P)(2)PdCl(2) as catalyst. The resulting XFs carry dibutylamino, pyridyl, cyano, and diphenylamino residues on their styryl arms to give rise to donor-, acceptor-, and donor-acceptor-substituted XFs. The optical properties of these XFs were investigated. Titration studies using trifluoroacetic acid tracked changes in the electronic structure of the XFs upon protonation. Donor XFs display a blue shift in absorption and emission upon protonation, while the pyridyl-substituted XF displays red shift in absorption and emission upon protonation. In the case of the donor-acceptor XF carrying a pyridyl and an aminostyryl arm, the first protonation occurs either on the pyridine or on the dibutylamino arm; a red shift is seen in absorption (for the former) and a blue shift is observed in emission (for the latter). The titration studies indicate that the protonated XFs do not display kinetic photoacidity when operating either in dichloromethane or acetonitrile solutions. The trends observed for protonation were mirrored when the XFs bind to metal cations. While the binding constants of the metal cations to the XFs were lower than for that for protons, as in some cases full metalation of the XF could not be obtained, the results were qualitatively the same. We did not find dynamic excited-state decomplexation events in the XFs that we have investigated. The XFs, stilbene derivatives, are different from other reported, similarly structured fluorophores as they show significant ratiometric changes in emission upon metal complexation; thus, distyrylbenzene-derived fluorophores may be, in the end, viable choices as platforms for metal ion detection.

Out on a limb: Sonogashira coupling of a suitable AB(2) monomer containing two iodine and one alkyne group forms a hyperbranched conjugated polymer that is studded with iodine end groups (see picture: I purple). These iodine groups are a perfect handle for convenient, efficient, and high-yielding post-functionalization to access hyperbranched, fluorescent poly(phenyleneethynylene)s.

This work is focused on unraveling the mechanisms responsible for the aggregation‐induced enhanced emission and solid‐state luminescence enhancement effects observed in star‐shaped molecules based on 1,3,5‐tris(styryl)benzene and tri(styryl)‐s‐triazine cores. To achieve this, the photophysical properties of this set of molecules were analyzed in three states: free molecules, molecular aggregates in solution, and the solid state. Different spectroscopy and microscopy experiments and DFT calculations were conducted to scrutinize the causative mechanisms of the luminescence enhancement phenomenon observed in some experimental conditions. Enhanced luminescence emission was interpreted in the context of short‐ and long‐range excitonic coupling mechanisms and the restriction of intramolecular vibrations. Additionally, we found that the formation of π‐stacking aggregates could block E/Z photoisomerization through torsional motions between phenylene rings in the excited state, and hence, enhancing the luminescence of the system.

No abstract

As sessile cells of fungal biofilms are at least 500-fold more resistant to antifungal drugs than their planktonic counterparts, there is a requirement for new antifungal agents. Olygostyrylbenzenes (OSBs) are the first generation of poly(phenylene)vinylene dendrimers with a gram-positive antibacterial activity. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the antifungal activity of four OSBs (1, 2, 3, and 4) on planktonic cells and biofilms of Candida tropicalis. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for the planktonic population and the sessile minimum inhibitory concentrations (SMIC) were determined. Biofilm eradication was studied by crystal violet stain and light microscopy (LM), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was also utilized in conjunction with the image analysis software COMSTAT. Although all the OSBs studied had antifungal activity, the cationic OSBs were more effective than the anionic ones. A significant reduction of biofilms was observed at MIC and supraMIC50 (50 times higher than MIC) for compound 2, and at supraMIC50 with compound 3. Alterations in surface topography and the three-dimensional architecture of the biofilms were evident with LM and CLSM. The LM analysis revealed that the C. tropicalis strain produced a striking biofilm with oval blastospores, pseudohyphae, and true hyphae. CLSM images showed that a decrease occurred in the thickness of the mature biofilms treated with the OSBs at the most effective concentration for each one. The results obtained by microscopy were supported by those of the COMSTAT program. Our results revealed an antibiofilm activity, with compound 2 being a potential candidate for the treatment of C. tropicalis infections. Lay Summary This study aimed to investigate the antifungal activity of four OSBs (1, 2, 3, and 4) on planktonic cells and biofilms of Candida tropicalis. Our results revealed an antibiofilm activity, with compound 2 being a potential candidate for the treatment of C. tropicalis infections.