Towards white-light emission of fluorescent polymeric nanoparticles with a single luminogen possessing AIE and TICT properties

Abstract

A novel technique of modulating the emission behavior of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) polymeric nanoparticles (AIE-PNPs) based on the polymer matrix was provided. White-light-emitting (WLE) AIE-PNPs were facilely synthesized through miniemulsion copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and comonomers with various polarities by using a single luminogen with AIE and twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) properties, (2-(3-cyano-5,5-dimethyl-4-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)styryl)furan-2(5H)-ylidene)malononitrile (TPE-TCF)). The increased or reduced polarity of the polymer matrix could lead to red-shifted or blue-shifted emission of polymer/TPE-TCF AIE-PNPs, respectively. The polarity-dependent emission behavior of polymer/TPE-TCF AIE-PNPs was generally validated in the AIE-PNPs with various polymer matrices. The WLE polymer/TPE-TCF AIE-PNPs could be generally synthesized via miniemulsion copolymerization of MMA with isobornyl methacrylate, stearyl methacrylate, lauryl methacrylate, n-hexyl methacrylate, and cyclohexyl methacrylate at an appropriate monomer composition. By simply coating a layer of prepared WLE AIE-PNPs onto UV LED chips, the UV light could be successfully converted to white light, clearly demonstrating their great application potential in electronic and photonic devices.