Dendritic AIE-active luminogens with a POSS core: synthesis, characterization, and application as chemosensors

Abstract

Two nano-hybrid dendrimers were synthesized by grafting tetraphenylethene (TPE) units onto a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) core through a one-step hydrosilylation reaction. The two dendrimers demonstrated typical aggregation-induced emission (AIE), and they exhibited outstanding thermal stability and high fluorescence quantum yields. The emissions of their nanoaggregates can be quenched by picric acid or selectively by Ru³⁺ ions with a superamplification effect. The quenching constants of the dendrimers for picric acid and Ru³⁺ ions are as high as 560 000 and 473 640 M⁻¹, respectively, suggesting that they are highly sensitive chemosensors for explosives and metal ions.