Room temperature phosphorescence from natural products: Crystallization matters

Efficient room temperature phosphorescence is observed in natural compounds and polymers such as starch, cellulose, bovine serum albumin (BSA), and some other carbohydrates. Whereas being practically nonluminescent in solutions and TLC plates, they emit bright phosphorescence in the crystalline states with lifetime up to microseconds, exhibiting crystallization-induced phosphorescence (CIP) characteristics. The CIP of these natural products without any conventional chromophores offers a new platform for the exploration of conceptually novel luminogens.

Crystallization-induced phosphorescence of benzils at room temperature

Efficient room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) is rarely observed in pure organic luminogens. However, we have newly observed that benzil and its derivatives are nonluminescent in solvents and thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates, but become highly phosphorescent in crystal state at room temperature, exhibiting typical crystallization-induced phosphorescence (CIP) characteristics. The CIP phenomenon is ascribed to the restriction of intramolecular rotations in crystals owing to effective intermolecular interactions. Such intermolecular interactions greatly rigidify the molecular conformation and significantly decrease the nonradiative deactivation channels of the triplet excitons, thus giving boosted phosphorescent emission at room temperature.

Detection of the critical micelle concentration of cationic and anionic surfactants based on aggregation-induced emission property of hexaphenylsilole derivatives

We report a fluorescence "turn-on" method to detect the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of surfactants. This method works well for both cationic and anionic surfactants. It employs an unprecedented mechanism (aggregation-induced emission, or AIE) to determine the CMC values, and the results are consistent with the data obtained by the classical techniques. In addition, this method renders the convenient detection of the CMC values. Any large and professional instruments are unnecessary, instead, a portable UV lamp and an ultrasonic generator are enough to carry out the detection in an ordinary laboratory. Considering that micelles are interesting entities and have found applications in many important fields such as emulsion polymerization, template of nanosized materials synthesis, controllable drug delivery and macromolecular self-assembling. Our experimental results may offer a facile, sensitive and promising method to detect the formation of micelles constructed by the new amphiphilic molecules and macromolecules.

1-((12-Bromododecyl)oxy)-4-((4-(4-pentylcyclohexyl)phenyl)ethynyl) benzene: Liquid crystal with aggregation-induced emission characteristics

The luminescent liquid crystals (LLCs) are expected to solve the conflicts between the aggregation caused quenching and the requirement of aggregation or self-organization for LCs. Herein, we developed a new strategy of applying aggregation-induced emission (AIE) phenomenon to the molecular design of LCs towards LLCs. In this report, a calamitic liquid crystal based on tolane with AIE characteristics was successfully synthesized and the chemical structure was characterized by 1H, 13C NMR, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) high-resolution mass spectra. The fluorescence behavior was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy and the liquid crystal phase behaviors were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM). The crystal structure was obtained by X-ray diffraction crystallography with P1 space group. Results demonstrated that the sample was AIE active and the LC phases sequence during cooling was nematic, smectic C and smectic B phase.

High efficiency D-A structured luminogen with aggregation-induced emission and mechanochromic characteristics

A novel luminogen, CZ2TPAN, with typical D-A architecture was obtained. It shows intramolecular charge transfer and aggregation-induced emission characteristics with high solid-state efficiency of 65.3%. Moreover, it exhibits reversible mechanochromic behavior between crystalline and amorphous states with remarkable emission color change from green (504 nm) to yellow (545nm).

Crystallization-induced phosphorescence of benzils at room temperature

Efficient room temperature phosphorescence(RTP)is rarely observed in pure organic luminogens.However,we have newly observed that benzil and its derivatives are nonluminescent in solvents and thin layer chromatography(TLC)plates,but become highly phosphorescent in crystal state at room temperature,exhibiting typical crystallization-induced phosphorescence(CIP)characteristics.The CIP phenomenon is ascribed to the restriction of intramolecular rotations in crystals owing to effective intermolecular interactions.Such intermolecular interactions greatly rigidify the molecular conformation and significantly decrease the nonradiative deactivation channels of the triplet excitons,thus giving boosted phosphorescent emission at room temperature.

Room temperature phosphorescence from natural products： Crystallization matters

Efficient room temperature phosphorescence is observed in natural compounds and polymers such as starch,cellulose,bovine serum albumin(BSA),and some other carbohydrates.Whereas being practically nonluminescent in solutions and TLC plates,they emit bright phosphorescence in the crystalline states with lifetime up to microseconds,exhibiting crystallization-induced phosphorescence(CIP)characteristics.The CIP of these natural products without any conventional chromophores offers a new platform for the exploration of conceptually novel luminogens.

1-((12-Bromododecyl)oxy)-4-((4-(4-pentylcyclohexyl) phenyl)ethynyl) benzene：Liquid crystal with aggregation-induced emission characteristics

The luminescent liquid crystals(LLCs)are expected to solve the conflicts between the aggregation caused quenching and the requirement of aggregation or self-organization for LCs.Herein,we developed a new strategy of applying aggregation-induced emission(AIE)phenomenon to the molecular design of LCs towards LLCs.In this report,a calamitic liquid crystal based on tolane with AIE characteristics was successfully synthesized and the chemical structure was characterized by1H,13C NMR,and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight(MALDI-TOF)high-resolution mass spectra.The fluorescence behavior was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy and the liquid crystal phase behaviors were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),polarized optical microscopy(POM).The crystal structure was obtained by X-ray diffraction crystallography with P1 space group.Results demonstrated that the sample was AIE active and the LC phases sequence during cooling was nematic,smectic C and smectic B phase.