Tetraaryl pyrazole polymers: versatile synthesis, aggregation induced emission enhancement and detection of explosives

Abstract

Here we report a new approach to obtain tetraaryl pyrazole polymers by free radical polymerization of styryl substituted pyrazole monomers. The resultant tetraaryl pyrazole polymers are stable at temperatures up to 300 °C and completely soluble in organic solvents. The study of the photophysical properties of the polymers in the aggregated and the non-aggregated form reveals that they exhibit the aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) phenomenon. Furthermore, we show that these new AIEE luminogens function as fluorescent chemosensors for the detection of explosives like picric acid.