Emission enhancement and color adjustment of silicon-cored structure in tetraphenyl benzene with aggregation-enhanced emission

Abstract

In this paper, we report the synthesis and optical behavior of tetraphenyl benzene and its two derivatives. All the three compounds exhibited aggregation-enhanced emission (AEE) properties at a low concentration. The AEE mechanism was investigated and is due to restricted intramolecular rotation and unique packing structure. Furthermore, this kind of dendritic benzene derivatives exhibited interesting optical properties with increased concentration. Furthermore, we found a new phenomenon that the silicon-cored structure could efficiently enhance emission intensity and adjust the emission colors of dendritic benzene. The phenomenon was called “silicon-cored effect.” This effect may give some guidance to the design of new luminescent materials with AIE and AEE properties.