Abstract
The fabrication of well-defined nanostructures with luminescent properties in the solid or aggregated state is of intense interest due to their applications in nano- and biotechnology. We report the synthesis of water-soluble tetraphenylethylene bearing four sulfonate groups as a sodium salt (Su-TPE), and investigations concerning its AIE characteristics by the addition of organic solvent into the aqueous solution, which is the reverse procedure to conventional AIE-active TPE derivatives. The resultant compound is weakly emissive in pure water, however, emits strongly upon addition of THF solvent (with THF fraction > 60%). The emission properties and the morphologies of the aggregates were greatly dependent upon the solution pH. Su-TPE self-assembled into variety of structures in water/THF mixture with pH control, for the first time. Well-defined uniform nanorods with a width of about 200 nm and a length of up to 10 μm were obtained at solution pH of 1. The Su-TPE showed very good mechanochromic properties were observed during the process of grounding and fuming.
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