Fluorescence from Aromatic Compounds Isolated in the Solid State by Double Intercalation Using Layered Polymer Crystals as the Host Solid

Abstract

Poly(muconic acid)s, stereoregular polymer crystals obtained by topochemical polymerization using supramolecular control, function as the layered host solids for organic intercalation, in which alkylamines as the guest species are reversibly inserted into them through an acid-base interaction. We now report a double-intercalation method using alkylamine and pyrene as the guests to control the fluorescence property in the solid state. An aromatic compound can be separately introduced into the hydrophobic layers of the ammonium polymer crystals. The aromatic molecules, which are sandwiched between two alkyl layers, show fluorescence emission from the single molecule but not the excimer. This method can be applied to various organic photofunctional materials showing unique fluorescence properties.