Fluorophores based on a minimal thienylthiazole core: towards multifunctional materials with solid state red emissions, solvatochromism and AIE behaviour

Abstract

We introduce 5-(thiophen-2-yl)-1,3-thiazole [5-TPTZ] as a novel core for the design of luminescent organic materials. Donor–acceptor–donor–acceptor (D–A–D–A) tetrads based on [5-TPTZ] exhibited solid state red emission, positive solvatochromism, large Stokes shift, and aggregation induced emission (AIE) behaviour. The observed photophysical properties of these multifunctional materials were elucidated by crystal structure analysis, computational studies and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.