Aggregation-induced emission or aggregation-caused quenching? Impact of covalent bridge between tetraphenylethene and naphthalimide

Understanding the physical mechanisms governing aggregation-induced-emission (AIE) and aggregation-caused-quenching plays a vital role in developing functional AIE materials. In this work, tetraphenylethene (TPE, a classical AIEgen) and naphthalimide (NI, a popular fluorophore with ACQ characteristics) were connected through non-conjugated linkages and conjugated linkages. We showed that the nonconjugated-linkage of TPE to NI fragments leads to substantial PET in molecular aggregates and ACQ. In contrast, the conjugated connection between TPE and NI moieties results in the AIE phenomenon by suppressing twisted intramolecular charge transfer. This work provides an important guideline for the rational design of AIE materials.