Two 1,2-disubstituted
tetraphenylethene E/Z isomers, each
containing two cyano functional groups,
were successfully synthesized and characterized. Unlike conventional
tetraphenylethene molecules, the two isomers possess unique aggregation
induced emission red-shift and enhancement behavior. Interestingly,
the crystalline solids of these two isomers show distinct emission
maxima, which are more than 50 nm apart from each other. These two
isomers can selectively detect nitroaromatics, showing a quenching
efficiency of picric acid more than 100 times higher than other nitroaromatics.
The structural characterization, absorption, and emission in solutions
as well as DFT calculations were conducted to help us gain deep insights
into the chemistry of these species.
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