Proton Transfer Sites Research Articles

Bio-metal organic framework functionalized nanofibers as efficient proton-conducting for proton exchange membrane

A membrane with a low methanol permeability and high proton conductivity (σp) is essential for the effective operation of a direct methanol-based fuel cell. Herein, a bio-metal organic framework was prepared with natural α-amino acids as ligands and then combined with hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers (AA-MOF@PAN). The resulting nanocomposite membranes were subsequently integrated into a Nafion matrix (AA-MOF@PAN/Nafion). The –NH2 groups on AA-MOF@PAN interact with –SO3H groups on Nafion, forming long-range acid-base pairs along the interface between the matrix and nanofibers. This interaction creates abundant proton-conducting sites for proton exchange membrane. Notably, the AA-MOF@PAN-4h/Nafion membrane demonstrated an exceptional proton conductivity (σp) of 0.25 S cm−1 and a higher power density of 117.61 mW cm−2 compared to the recast Nafion membrane. This study offers valuable insights into the three-dimensional ordered design of a natural α-amino acids as a proton transfer sites and highlighting their potential applications in proton exchange membranes.

Photochemistry of a proton relay – system with triple fluorescence

The excited state of proton transfer and the dynamics of the excited states of three 3-carboxy substituted bis-salicylidenes (H4L1-3) have been studied by combining steady state and time-resolved absorption and emission methods, and with quantum chemical calculations. The 3-carboxy substituted bis-salicylidenes contain two coupled intramolecular hydrogen bonds of the OH…OH…N type. This system has two proton transfer sites. The compounds have excitation – dependent emission and a high sensitivity to the solvent polarity. ESIPT and deprotonation result in the co-existence of enol, keto, anionic and zwitterionic species with or without quinoid structure, whose emission bands are located from the blue to the yellowish-green region. The photophysical processes in the nano-to-microseconds timescale have been linked to the intermolecular interactions with the solvent, where hydrogen bonding leads to the formation of a cyclic 1:2 solute − solvent complex. Transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that the generation of charged structures of H4L1-3 occurs through a solvent-assisted proton transfer along the chain of two solvent molecules, which act as a proton-relay system. The computational study of the energy profiles and of the enol-to-keto tautomerization with explicit solvent molecules has been performed for the first time for this kind of ESIPT system.

Unidirectional photoisomerisation in a dual channel proton transfer molecule rhodamine B based Schiff Base: A ratiometric pH sensor

In this article we have presented the synthesis, characterisation and spectral study of a newly designed fluorophore, (E)-2-((3-(benzo[d]oxazol-2-yl)-5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)amino)-3′,6′-bis(diethylamino)spiro [isoindoline-1,9′-xanthen]-3-one (RHHBO) which has two possible six member intramolecular hydrogen bonded networks capable for dual channels proton transfer reaction − one towards the N atom of oxazole moiety and the other towards the N atom of rhodamine moity. Details steady state and time resolved spectral analysis of RHHBO and a comparison of spectral features of control compounds 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole (HBO), (E)-4-bromo-2-(hydrazonomethyl)phenol (HBN) and (E)-2-((5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)amino)-3′,6′-bis(diethylamino)spiro[isoindoline-1,9′-xanthen]-3-one (RH) having only single proton transfer site reveal that excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) in RHHBO occurs towards the rhodamine side but not towards the oxazole side. Interestingly, RHHBO shows different fluorescence colour in acidic and basic medium and hence can be used ratiometric emission based pH sensor.

Tactfully regulating the ESIPT and TICT mechanism in the AIE-active multifunctional triphenylamine Schiff-base compound (TPASB) by methyl substitution

The triphenylamine Schiff-base (TPASB) with dual proton transfer sites (N1…H1–O1 [R1] and N2…H2–O2 [R2]), which is crucial in the field of optoelectronic materials. Herein, a novel molecular design strategy for preparing of TPASB-1 and TPASB-2 via the selective methylation of the hydroxyl group at the R2 or R1 position was proposed. The analysis of electronic structures and potential energy surfaces revealed that a single excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process of TPASB occurs only at R1. Nevertheless, the ESIPT process of TPASB-2 was successfully turned on at R2. More noteworthy is that compared to TPASB, the methylation of hydroxyl group at the R2 position triggers the TICT process of TPASB-1, effectively reducing the potential barrier of ESIPT at the R1 position. This theoretical study explains the role of the substituent effect in regulating ESIPT behaviour, and provides valuable guidance for synthesising efficacious ESIPT-active compounds.

Effects of different ratios of flexible links and rigid structures in side chains on membrane properties for HT-PEM applications

A series of grafted polybenzimidazoles with ratios of flexible links and rigid structures in side chains based on amino polybenzimidazole (AmPBI) was successfully prepared by simple N-substitution reaction. Due to the adequate number of amino groups on the AmPBI backbone, sufficient N–H sites reduce consumption of imidazole group during grafting reactions, while simultaneously elevating the number of proton transfer site. The grafted polybenzimidazole membranes with ratios of flexible links and rigid structures in side chains have excellent properties especially in the phosphoric acid (PA) uptake, pretty swelling ratio and proton conductivity. Importantly, PA uptake, swelling ratio, mechanical property, proton conductivity and power density can be controlled by changing the ratios of flexible links and rigid structures. The grafted membrane (AmPBI-P3) with the longer flexible link in the side chain shows a low swelling ratio of 128.62%, which is lower than that of other AmPBI-PX and AmPBI. Moreover, AmPBI-P3 shows a high proton conductivity of 126.9 mS cm−1 which is about 1.74 times higher than pure AmPBI (73.1 mS cm−1) and still reaches 91.4 mS cm−1 at 180 °C after the PA retention capacity test under 160 °C/0%RH for 240 h. A great power density of 738.5 mW/cm2 at 180 °C with dry H2–O2 and no backpressure is impressive among many reported membranes.

Self-healing sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)/polyvinyl alcohol membrane reinforced with sulfonated silica for direct methanol fuel cell

Nafion, the predominant choice for polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), excels in proton conductivity but is plagued by elevated methanol permeability and sustained performance degradation. To address these issues, this study aims to synthesize a self-healable composite membrane composed of sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone), polyvinyl alcohol, and sulfonated silica (S/PVA/S–SiO2). The composite membrane with 3 wt% S–SiO2 demonstrates the highest proton conductivity, thanks to its improved water absorption and increased proton transfer sites. Compared to pure SPEEK, the composite membrane has a 20% lower methanol permeability. With its enhanced selectivity, the S/PVA/S–SiO2 membrane produces a power density of 3.64 mW cm−2 at 26.67 mA cm−2. Furthermore, by virtue of reversible hydrogen bonding, the composite membrane shows exceptional self-healing capabilities, restoring its methanol-blocking function by 83.6%. These results highlight that the S/PVA/S–SiO2 membrane holds promise for DMFC applications.

Influence of activated protons and acid–base pairs on proton conduction in imino-functionalized MOF-based hybrid membranes

The rich activated protons and effective proton-conducting paths are of importance to improve conductivities of conductors. Herein, a series of Brönsted acids as proton carrier and proton transfer sites is introduced into the highly stable MOF, contributing to create plentiful hydrogen bonds within frameworks. Consequently, the trifluoromethanesulfonic acid-embedded JUC-1000 ([Cu24(BDPO)12(H2O)12]) displays the relatively highest conductivity of 7.04 × 10−4 S cm−1 under ∼98% RH and 328 K, ∼16 times that of JUC-1000 (4.47 × 10−5 S cm−1). When TMSA@JUC-1000 (TMSA = CF3SO3H) blended with chitosan (CS), the proton conductivity of TMSA@JUC-1000/CS-15 is the highest at ∼76% RH and 328 K (1.01×10−2 S cm−1), which is six times higher than that of JUC-1000/CS (1.85×10−3 S cm−1). The CS contains abundant –NH2 and –OH groups as proton jumping sites, which would activate the –NH– or –OH bonds of JUC-1000 and the acidic groups in Brönsted acids. These would result in an increased content of activated protons and effective formation of H-bonding nets by acid-base interactions. The findings provide valuable insights into the potential application of MOFs materials in energy devices.

Switching of photoinduced proton transfer from one six-membered hydrogen-bonded ring to other: a molecule of hydrazine and pH sensor.

The present study describes photophysical properties of 3-(benzo[d]oxazol-2-yl)-5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (HBOB) and (E)-2-(benzo[d]oxazol-2-yl)-4-bromo-6-(hydrazonomethyl)phenol (HBON) molecules with asymmetric two-way proton transfer sites. The purpose of this study is to know the direction of ESIPT out of the two-way proton transfer pathways in these molecules in both the solid and solution state. The steady state and time-resolved spectral behaviour of HBOB and HBON and a comparison of the spectral features with the two distinct control compounds 2-(benzo[d]oxazol-2-yl)-4-bromophenol (HBO) and (E)-4-bromo-2-(hydrazonomethyl)phenol (HBN) having single 6-membered hydrogen bonded network reveal that HBOB undergoes imine-amine photoisomerisation by proton transfer towards the oxazole side and HBON undergoes towards the hydrazone side with characteristic Stokes' shifted emission. Proton transfer forms with the red shifted emission of these molecules shows fast decay than the locally excited state. In the solid state, extremely high fluorescence intensity was observed, following a similar type of ESIPT pattern. Calculated ground (S0) and excited state (S1) energy barriers for the PT process obtained using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) corroborate the unidirectional excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process for HBOB and HBON, and the theoretical spectral features validate our experimental absorption and emission spectra well. Interestingly, the unique unidirectional ESIPT behaviour of HBOB was utilised to detect hydrazine both in solution and solid phases. On the other hand, HBON was found to be a good fluorescence pH sensor with a ratiometric color change from yellow to green in acidic and basic media.

Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy for studying stepwise excited-state intramolecular double proton transfer

Nowadays, single excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) is well studied and widely reported. However, excited-state multiple intramolecular proton transfer has not been thoroughly researched until the past decade. And now there is an increasing scientific interest not only in single but also in multiple ESIPT processes occurred in various molecules, because it offers great opportunities to apply such compounds in chemical sensors, molecular switches, NIR emitting devices and liquid crystals with high fluorescence. A stepwise excited-state intramolecular double proton transfer (ESIDPT) is among such multiple ESIPT processes. Similar to the single ESIPT, stepwise ESIDPT also occurs via an intramolecular hydrogen bonding way. But in the stepwise ESIDPT, two proton transfers occur sequentially in a molecule, because there is only one proton transfer site in the initial molecular structure. Then, after the first ESIPT, an additional proton transfer site appears, and the second proton transfer will occur.In this work, an emission of stepwise ESIDPT-active molecules was studied from the point of view of a time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The theoretical model for emission decay was discussed on the basis of a six states model. This model consists of three pairs of ground and excited states for normal molecular form and two tautomers. It leads to three-exponential equations for emission decay functions. It was shown that a thorough analysis of fluorescence decay curves allows to estimate the total decay rate constants for each excited molecular form. The proposed model has been validated for a numerically simulated case. The experimental data have also been discussed from the point of view of the proposed model.

Environmental and Nuclear Quantum Effects on Double Proton Transfer in the Guanine-Cytosine Base Pair.

In the present letter, we investigate the double proton transfer (DPT) tautomerization process in guanine-cytosine (GC) DNA base pairs. In particular, we study the influence of the biological environment on the mechanism, the kinetics and thermodynamics of such DPT. To this end, we present a molecular dynamics (MD) study in the tight-binding density functional theory framework, and compare the reactivity of the isolated GC dimer with that of the same dimer embedded in a small DNA structure. The impact of nuclear quantum effects (NQEs) is also evaluated using Path Integral based MD. Results show that in the isolated dimer, the DPT occurs via a concerted mechanism, while in the model biological environment, it turns into a stepwise process going through an intermediate structure. One of the water molecules in the vicinity of the proton transfer sites plays an important role as it changes H-bond pattern during the DPT reaction. The inclusion of NQEs has the effect of speeding up the tautomeric-to-canonical reaction, reflecting the destabilization of both the tautomeric and intermediate forms.

Intramolecular dual hydrogen bonded fluorescent “turn-on” probe for Al3+ and HSO4- ions: Applications in real water samples and molecular keypad lock

Dual hydrogen bonded Schiff base containing unsymmetrical double proton transfer sites, one with imine bond (CN) and hydroxyl group (OH), and the other with benzimidazole and hydroxyl groups has been successfully synthesized. Probe 1 displayed intramolecular charge transfer and acts as a potential sensor for Al3+ and HSO4- ions. Probe 1 displayed two absorption peaks at 325 nm and 340 nm and an emission band at 435 nm upon excitation at 340 nm. Probe 1 behaves as a fluorescence “turn-on” chemosensor for both Al3+ and HSO4- ions in H2O-CH3OH solvent system. The proposed method allows the determination of Al3+ and HSO4- ions up to 39 nM and 23 nM at emission wavelength 385 nm and 390 nm, respectively. The binding behavior of probe 1 towards these ions is determined by the Job’s plot method and 1H NMR titrations. Probe 1 is used to construct a molecular keypad lock where the absorbance channel can be opened only in the presence of the correct sequence. Further, it is used for the quantitative determination of HSO4- ion in different real-field water samples.

ESIPT-Capable 4-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)-2-(Pyridin-2-yl)-1H-Imidazoles with Single and Double Proton Transfer: Synthesis, Selective Reduction of the Imidazolic OH Group and Luminescence.

1H-Imidazole derivatives establish one of the iconic classes of ESIPT-capable compounds (ESIPT = excited state intramolecular proton transfer). This work presents the synthesis of 1-hydroxy-4-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-5-methyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-imidazole (LOH,OH) as the first example of ESIPT-capable imidazole derivatives wherein the imidazole moiety simultaneously acts as a proton acceptor and a proton donor. The reaction of LOH,OH with chloroacetone leads to the selective reduction of the imidazolic OH group (whereas the phenolic OH group remains unaffected) and to the isolation of 4-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-5-methyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-imidazole (LH,OH), a monohydroxy congener of LOH,OH. Both LOH,OH and LH,OH demonstrate luminescence in the solid state. The number of OH···N proton transfer sites in these compounds (one for LH,OH and two for LOH,OH) strongly affects the luminescence mechanism and color of the emission: LH,OH emits in the light green region, whereas LOH,OH luminesces in the orange region. According to joint experimental and theoretical studies, the main emission pathway of both compounds is associated with T1 → S0 phosphorescence and not related to ESIPT. At the same time, LOH,OH also exhibits S1 → S0 fluorescence associated with ESIPT with one proton transferred from the hydroxyimidazole moiety to the pyridine moiety, which is not possible for LH,OH due to the absence of the hydroxy group in the imidazole moiety.

Heuristic-Based Alkaline Hydrolysis Mechanism of Nitrate Ester (Nitrocellulose Monomer) and Nitroamine (Hexogen) Compounds: Electrostatic Attraction Effect of the Nitro Group

The alkaline hydrolysis reaction of energetic materials is important and complex. With improved performance, AMK_Mountain was used to systematically study the alkaline hydrolysis of the nitrocellulose monomer and hexogen. The reaction pathways showed that the nitrocellulose monomer produces the nitrate anion and nitrite anion differently, while hexogen only produces the nitrite anion. Electronic structure results at the M06-2X/6-311G(d,p)/PCM(Pauling) level showed that the nitrocellulose monomer and hexogen have a similar pathway in their main energy-releasing process (nitrite anion production): with electrostatic attraction effects after proton transfer, the nitrite anion dissociates from the original structure with a low barrier. Moreover, during the alkaline hydrolysis of the nitrocellulose monomer, the metastable intermediates after proton transfer may be directly generated following transition states that, structurally, tend to produce nitrite anions "proximal" to the proton transfer site and produce nitrate anions "distal" to the proton transfer site. Electronic structure analysis showed that representative metastable intermediates revealed that the charge transfer caused by electrostatic attraction may be the direct cause of these reactions.

Interplay of Dual-Proton Transfer Relay to Achieve Full-Color Panel Luminescence in Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer (ESIPT) Fluorophores.

A new design was applied for the facile synthesis of pure organic photoluminescent molecules with dual excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) sites. In this novel class of emitters, full-color panel emission from blue, green, and yellow to red, including white light, can be achieved in different solvents as modulated by the enol-keto(1st)-keto(2nd) tautomer emissions. A comprehensive transient photophysical study verifies that keto(1st) and keto(2nd) have a precursor (<0.8 ps)-successor (∼20 ps)-relayed absorbance relationship, and then a fast equilibrium between the two is established, resulting in dual emissions in the nanosecond scale (∼1900 ps). Through the research on copper ions' selective PL response, the dual-ESIPT mechanism was further verified; in addition, the study of solid-state PL changes upon the stimulus of organic vapor manifests the potential application sensitivity of the molecules as dual-ESIPT sensors. Theoretical results including reaction potential energy surface analyses manifest the fact that dual-proton transfer goes along a sequential route with a smaller energy barrier, firmly supporting the experimental results. An intrinsic system that undergoes intramolecular double proton relayed transfer is thus established for the achievement of much broadened optical responses and full-color display, providing reference for the design and application of advanced dual-ESIPT optical materials.

Stepwise Excited-state Double Proton Transfer and Fluorescence Decay Analysis

This work considers excited state intramolecular proton transfers (ESIPT) occurred in multiple hydroxyl-containing compounds with one proton transfer site in the normal form. If several hydroxyl groups are located close to each other in a molecule, then the ESIPT process can lead to the next one. A proton donor site in the first ESIPT will be a proton acceptor during the second reaction. Therefore, a number of consecutive excited state proton transfers can occur. This work deals with the case of two successive proton transfers occurred in the molecular system. Such process is called as a stepwise excited state intramolecular double proton transfer (stepwise ESIDPT). It leads to the formation of two molecular tautomers. Therefore, fluorescence of such compounds can contain different emission bands correspond to emission of normal form and two tautomers. In this work, a rigorous analysis of fluorescence decay kinetics has been made using the model with three species, including a normal molecular form and two tautomers. The work presents theoretical framework of fluorescence decay analysis of ESIDPT process taking into account three species emission. Theoretically, the stepwise proton transfers can be consisted of more than two ESIPT reactions. It depends on molecular structure and number of involved hydroxyl groups. Here, a formal analysis of fluorescence decay kinetics has been made in the case of a stepwise process consisting of two proton transfers. Moreover, the quantum-chemical calculations have been performed in the case of scutellarein. It is a multiple hydroxyl-containing flavone and, therefore, it can be applied as a model molecule to study stepwise intramolecular proton transfers. The hypothetical scheme of ESIDPT has been proposed for this compound.Graphical abstract

Coherent Vibrational Spectrum via Time-Resolved Fluorescence for Molecular Dynamics and Identification of Emitting Species–Application to Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer

Time-resolved fluorescence (TF) with high-enough resolution enables recording of a coherent vibrational spectrum (CVS). Because a CVS attained via TF (CVSF) is descended from the frequency modulation of the fluorescence spectrum, it gives the vibrational spectrum of the emitting state. Therefore, CVSF can be a powerful tool for the identification of an emitting state along with the investigation of molecular dynamics in excited states. Herein, we report CVSF of a Schiff base salicylaldehyde azine (SAA) that has two possible excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) sites. The ESIPT time of SAA in dichloromethane is determined to be 22 fs. Quantitative agreement between the experimental CVSF and calculated CVSF of the mono-keto isomer demonstrates that ESIPT indeed occurs in SAA only on one side. More importantly, we show that a CVSF can be utilized to identify an emitting species and its state with the help of quantum chemical calculations. Implications of the CVSF obtained by assuming impulsive excitation of vibrations are discussed in terms of the molecular mechanism of ESIPT and the generation of nuclear wave packets in the product state.

Tunable fluorescence of Imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridine derivatives with additional proton transfer sites Harnessing excited-state intramolecular double proton transfer: Theoretical insight

Electronic properties and excited-state intramolecular proton transfers of a new designed series of doubly intramolecular hydrogen bonding molecules having imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines as proton acceptors with different types of proton donors (hydroxy-type, amino-type, and mixing-type) and their derivatives have been theoretically evaluated for fluorescent probes. Overall, all designed molecules are photoexcited at ∼420 nm and give fluorescence in the NIR region with large Stokes shifts. The fluorescence of NH- and Mixed-type molecules are notably longer than that of OH-type molecules, and those of the derivatives with a π-conjugated spacer are slightly longer than those of their analogues. Based on the kinetic and thermodynamic information, all designed molecules could not exhibit the double proton transfer (DPT) process but only single proton transfer (SPT) is preferred. Moreover, the dynamic simulations on the excited-state confirm that only SPT is allowed but not DPT in accordance with the predicted PT barriers and reaction energies, leading only NT* fluorescence but their NT* fluorescence maxima are still in the NIR region (600–900 nm) with large Stokes shifts (∼300 nm). The NIR fluorescence is caused by an additional PT unit and a π-conjugated spacer induce the ICT character evidenced by the EDD maps. Therefore, these designed molecules exhibiting NIR tautomer emission with large Stokes shifts could be potential candidates for NIR fluorescent probes with avoiding self-absorption and less photo-damage.

Targeting Individual Tautomers in Equilibrium by Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering

Tautomerism is one of the most important forms of isomerism, owing to the facile interconversion between species and the large differences in chemical properties introduced by the proton transfer connecting the tautomers. Spectroscopic techniques are often used for the characterization of tautomers. In this context, separating the overlapping spectral response of coexisting tautomers is a long-standing challenge in chemistry. Here, we demonstrate that by using resonant inelastic X-ray scattering tuned to the core excited states at the site of proton exchange between tautomers one is able to experimentally disentangle the manifold of valence excited states of each tautomer in a mixture. The technique is applied to the prototypical keto–enol equilibrium of 3-hydroxypyridine in aqueous solution. We detect transitions from the occupied orbitals into the LUMO for each tautomer in solution, which report on intrinsic and hydrogen-bond-induced orbital polarization within the π and σ manifolds at the proton-transfer site.

Influence of intramolecular hydrogen bond formation sites on fluorescence mechanism

The fluorescence mechanism of HBT-HBZ is investigated in this work. A fluorescent probe is used to detect HClO content in living cells and tap water, and its structure after oxidation by HClO (HBT-ClO) is discussed based on the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). At the same time, the influence of the probe conformation and the proton transfer site within the excited state molecule on the fluorescence mechanism are revealed. Combined with infrared vibrational spectra and atoms-in-molecules theory, the strength of intramolecular hydrogen bonds in HBT-HBZ and HBT-ClO and their isomers are demonstrated qualitatively. The relationship between the strength of intramolecular hydrogen bonds and dipole moments is discussed. The potential energy curves demonstrate the feasibility of intramolecular proton transfer. The weak fluorescence phenomenon of HBT-HBZ in solution is quantitatively explained by analyzing the frontier molecular orbital and hole electron caused by charge separation. Moreover, when strong cyan fluorescence occurs in solution, the corresponding molecular structure should be HBT-ClO(T). The influence of the intramolecular hydrogen bond formation site on the molecule as a whole is also investigated by electrostatic potential analysis.

Tunable keto emission of 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole derivatives with π-expansion, substitution and additional proton transfer site for excited-state proton transfer-based fluorescent probes: Theoretical insights

Electronic properties and excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) processes of 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole (HBT) and its derivatives with different chemical structures (π-expansion, benzothiazole substituent and additional PT unit) have been theoretically investigated. The red-shifts of enol absorption peaks are found for all HBT derivatives regardless of chemical structures, whereas the blue-shifts or red-shifts of keto emission peaks are dependent on the orientation of π-expansion and the additional PT unit compared to HBT, which are rationalized by frontier molecular orbitals. Among designed HBT derivatives, a HBT having two PT units connected with π-expansion along the nodal plane is the best candidate for fluorescent probes because of its keto emission at 1159 nm with the largest Stokes shift. Moreover, potential energy curves and dynamic simulations confirm that the emission at much longer wavelength is from the di-keto species driven by double PT process. Based on this theoretical investigation, the keto emission of HBT derivatives in NIR region can be achieved by the combination of π-expansion along the nodal plane and additional PT unit.