A luminescent supramolecular polymer based on a stiff-stilbene bridged pillar[5]arene as a Pd2+-responsive smart material

Abstract

Two novel stiff stilbene bridged rim-differentiated pillar[5]arenes (bis-RD-P[5]s) were designed, synthesized and characterized. Subsequently, their binding ability and fluorescence properties with a suitable tetraphenylethylene (TPE) derivative were investigated. With the aid of supramolecular assembly-induced emission (SAIE), luminescent supramolecular nanoparticles (SN) were constructed through host–guest interactions between a bis-RD-P[5] and the TPE derivative. Interestingly, the SN showed strong aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and presented special selectivity and sensitivity for Pd²⁺; the fluorescence limit of detection of SN for Pd²⁺ is 5 × 10⁻⁷ M. The bis-RD-P[5]s offer a new building block to construct sophisticated supramolecular assemblies, and the resulting SN acted as a convenient test material for the detection of Pd²⁺.