Effect of Polymer Composition on the Optical Properties of a New Aggregation-Induced Emission Fluorophore: A Combined Experimental and Computational Approach
Alberto Picchi,
Qinfan Wang,
Francesco Ventura,
Cosimo Micheletti,
Jesse Heijkoop,
Francesco Picchioni,
Ilaria Ciofini,
Carlo Adamo,
Andrea Pucci
Affiliations
Alberto Picchi
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Via Moruzzi 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Qinfan Wang
Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences (i-CLeHS), École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris, PSL Research University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), FRE2027, 11, rue Pierre et Marie Curie, F-75005 Paris, France
Francesco Ventura
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Via Moruzzi 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Cosimo Micheletti
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Via Moruzzi 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Jesse Heijkoop
Department of Chemical Engineering, Product Technology, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
Francesco Picchioni
Department of Chemical Engineering, Product Technology, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
Ilaria Ciofini
Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences (i-CLeHS), École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris, PSL Research University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), FRE2027, 11, rue Pierre et Marie Curie, F-75005 Paris, France
Carlo Adamo
Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences (i-CLeHS), École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris, PSL Research University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), FRE2027, 11, rue Pierre et Marie Curie, F-75005 Paris, France
Andrea Pucci
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Via Moruzzi 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Nowadays, fluorophores with a tetraphenylethylene (TPE) core are considered interesting due to the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior that enables their effective use in polymer films. We propose a novel TPE fluorophore (TPE-BPAN) bearing two dimethylamino push and a 4-biphenylacetonitrile pull moieties with the typical AIE characteristics in solution and in the solid state, as rationalized by DFT calculations. Five different host polymer matrices with different polarity have been selected: two homopolymers of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate) (PCHMA) and three copolymers at different compositions (P(MMA-co-CHMA) 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75 mol%). The less polar comonomer of CHMA appeared to enhance TPE-BPAN emission with the highest quantum yield (QY) of about 40% measured in P(MMA-co-CHMA) 75:25. Further reduction in polymer polarity lowered QY and decreased the film stability and adhesion to the glass surface. LSC performances were not significantly affected by the matrix’s polarity and resulted in around one-third of the state-of-the-art due to the reduced QY of TPE-BPAN. The theoretical investigation based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations clarified the origin of the observed AIE and the role played by the environment in modulating the photophysical behavior.