Silicon effect of dendritic polyphenyl derivatives: enhancement of aggregation-induced emission and emission color adjustment

Abstract

In this study, two series of polyphenyl and silicon-containing dendritic derivatives were designed and investigated. Unlike the traditional aggregation-caused quenching molecules, all the compounds exhibited aggregation-induced emission properties. The silicon-containing derivatives exhibited higher fluorescence than the polyphenyl compounds in the aggregate states. These derivatives also showed visible blue light in contrast to the colorless emission of the polyphenyl compounds. Whether the silicon atom is in the core structure or peripheral substitute position, all the silicon-containing compounds showed the same result. Fluorescence enhancement and color adjustment caused by the Si atom resulted from the “silicon effect”.