Developing solid
state near-IR (NIR) emitters and simultaneously
discriminative detection of trace water in organic solvents has long
been a significant challenge. In this work, a novel diketopyrrolopyrrole-based
luminogen (DPP1) with excited state intramolecular proton transfer
(ESIPT) and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics has
been designed and synthesized. Its amorphous and crystal solids show
red and NIR-emissive fluorescence at 625 and 675 nm, respectively.
When DPP1 reacts with fluoride anion, the resulting system (DPP1·F)
can discriminatively detect the water content in aprotic solvents
with colorimetric and fluorescent dual modes. Distinct fluorescent
responses of “turn-on”, “ratiometric turn-off”,
and “ratiometric turn-on” and low limits of detection
of 0.0064, 0.042, and 0. The water-induced sensitive and fast change
in THF was applied to the determination of water in foodstuffs in
practical solid state indicator paper strips.