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Effect of the Polymer Composition on the Optical Properties of a New Aggregation-Induced Emission Fluorophore: A Combined Experimental and Computational Approach
Picchi, A.; Wang, Q.; Ventura, F.; Micheletti, C.; Heijkoop, J.; Picchioni, F.; Ciofini, I.; Adamo, C.; Pucci, A. Effect of Polymer Composition on the Optical Properties of a New Aggregation-Induced Emission Fluorophore: A Combined Experimental and Computational Approach. Polymers2023, 15, 3530.
Picchi, A.; Wang, Q.; Ventura, F.; Micheletti, C.; Heijkoop, J.; Picchioni, F.; Ciofini, I.; Adamo, C.; Pucci, A. Effect of Polymer Composition on the Optical Properties of a New Aggregation-Induced Emission Fluorophore: A Combined Experimental and Computational Approach. Polymers 2023, 15, 3530.
Picchi, A.; Wang, Q.; Ventura, F.; Micheletti, C.; Heijkoop, J.; Picchioni, F.; Ciofini, I.; Adamo, C.; Pucci, A. Effect of Polymer Composition on the Optical Properties of a New Aggregation-Induced Emission Fluorophore: A Combined Experimental and Computational Approach. Polymers2023, 15, 3530.
Picchi, A.; Wang, Q.; Ventura, F.; Micheletti, C.; Heijkoop, J.; Picchioni, F.; Ciofini, I.; Adamo, C.; Pucci, A. Effect of Polymer Composition on the Optical Properties of a New Aggregation-Induced Emission Fluorophore: A Combined Experimental and Computational Approach. Polymers 2023, 15, 3530.
Abstract
Fluorophores with a tetraphenylethylene (TPE) core are attracting increasing interest because of their aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behaviour, which makes them particularly suitable when dispersed in thin-layer films. We propose the synthesis and use of a novel TPE fluorophore (hereafter called TPE-BPAN) decorated with two dimethylamino push groups and a 4-biphenylacetonitrile pull moiety. In tetrahydrofuran solutions, TPE-BPAN showed a broad absorption spectrum, and an intense emission is observed when a non-solvent as water is added in amounts of 70% and above. We selected and synthetized five different polymer matrices for TPE-BPAN with decreasing polarity: a) poly(methylmetacrylate) homopolymer (PMMA); b), c), and d) three copolymers of methyl methacrylate and cyclohexyl methacrylate at different compositions (P(MMA-co-CHMA) 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 mol%); e) poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate) homopolymer (PCHMA). The presence of a less polar comonomer as cyclohexyl methacrylate appeared to enhance the emission behaviour of TPE-BPAN, which displayed the highest quantum yield (QY) in P(MMA-co-CHMA) 75:25 in all the range of concentration studied from 0.4 wt.% to 2.0 wt.%. Further reduction in polarity lowered QY to the values of PMMA films; also, lower adhesion to the glass and a marked fragility of the films were observed. Referring to the P(MMA-co-CHMA) 75:25 films, QY values decreased from over 40% at 0.4 wt.% to about 30% at 2.0 wt.%, which is still helpful for energy harvesting applications such as luminescent solar concentrators (LSC). LSC performances were not significantly affected by the matrix's lower polarity and resulted in around one-third of the state-of-the-art due to the lower QY of TPE-BPAN. The theoretical investigation on density functional theory (DFT) clarified the origin of the observed AIE and the role played by the environment in modulating the photophysical behaviour.
Keywords
Poly(methyl methacrylate); Poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate); Tetraphenylethylene (TPE); Aggregation-induced emission; Density functional theory investigations; Luminescent solar concentrator
Subject
Chemistry and Materials Science, Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
Copyright:
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