Supramolecular Assembly‐Induced Emission Enhancement Vesicles Regulated by Pincer‐Like Hosts Containing Pillar[5]arenes

Abstract

AbstractSupramolecular assembly‐induced emission enhancement (SAIEE) systems have been proved to be a highly efficient approach for the fabrication of luminescent nanoparticles with uniform morphology. Herein, fluorescent supramolecular vesicles are constructed from tetraphenylethene‐based cyano‐alkane tetramer (TPE‐(CN)4) and pincer‐like hosts containing two pillar[5]arene units (B‐(TAP[5]A)2) through a synergistic effect of host–guest interactions and hydrophobic interactions. Notably, the emission intensity of supramolecular vesicles can be remarkably enhanced with quantum yield determined to be 37.69%, whereas that of TPE‐(CN)4 is only 18.93% in mixture solvent. Furthermore, the supramolecular vesicles can retard the photocyclization reaction of TPE‐(CN)4 under UV light and exhibit considerable emission intensity at high temperature. Enthused by the above results, artificial light‐harvesting systems with high antenna effect of 18.7 are facilely established by introducing cyano‐vinyl derivatives (CV‐CN) as donor, demonstrating the adjustable emission wavelength through Förster resonance energy transfer in the present SAIEE systems. Taking advantage of the tunable emission colors, fluorescent ink based on supramolecular vesicles is successfully prepared, setting the basis for potential application in security painting. As a proof‐of‐concept study, the pincer‐like host facilitates the optical performance of chromophores with aggregation‐induced emission feature, and unlocks more possibilities for the establishment of SAIEE systems in aqueous.