Diarylboryl-Phenoselenazine Hybrid AIEgens: Design, Synthesis, and Multimodal Stimuli-Responsive Properties

Abstract

The development of smart materials with responsiveness to multiple external stimuli has emerged as a transformative frontier in the field of advanced functional materials science. This study reports the design and synthesis of five novel functionalized donor-acceptor (D-A) type aggregation-induced emission (AIE) molecules, which are constructed via covalent integration of phenoselenazine (PSeZ) (as an electron-rich donor) with organoboron moieties (as electron-deficient acceptors). The diarylboryl-PSeZ derivatives exhibit exceptional AIE characteristics, which are attributed to the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) mechanism. These materials demonstrate remarkable photophysical responses to multiple stimuli: (1) selective fluorescence enhancement for fluoride ions (F⁻) with a detection limit of 1.8 μM; (2) mechanochromic behavior characterized by a significant red-shift of 142 nm (from 478 nm to 620 nm); and (3) reversible electrochromism, featuring color transitions from colorless to blue or purple upon the application of a voltage (0-1.0 V) under both visible light and ultraviolet lamp irradiation. Owing to their multifunctional responsiveness, the diarylboryl-PSeZ type AIEgens hold considerable promise as candidates for smart chemical sensors, security inks, and electro-optical devices.This work provides a novel strategy for the development of multi-stimuli-responsive materials with tunable photoelectric properties..