Search

Solar‐driven interfacial evaporation is a promising technology for desalination. The photothermal conversion materials are at the core and play a key role in this field. Design of photothermal conversion materials based on organic dyes for desalination is still a challenge due to lack of efficient guiding strategy. Herein, a new D (donor)‐A (acceptor) type conjugated tetraphenylpyrazine (TPP) luminophore (namely TPP‐2IND) was prepared as a photothermal conversion molecule. It exhibited a broad absorption spectrum and strong π–π stacking in the solid state, resulting in efficient sunlight harvesting and boosting nonradiative decay. TPP‐2IND powder exhibited high photothermal efficiency upon 660 nm laser irradiation (0.9 W cm−2), and the surface temperature can reach to 200°C. Then, an interfacial heating system based on TPP‐2IND is established successfully. The water evaporation rate and the solar‐driven water evaporation efficiency were evaluated up to 1.04 kg m−2 h−1 and 65.8% under 1 sunlight, respectively. Thus, this novel solar‐driven heating system shows high potential for desalination and stimulates the development of advanced photothermal conversion materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypochlorite (ClO−), as a kind of essential reactive oxygen species, plays a crucial role in vitro and in vivo. Here, a ratiometric fluorescent probe (TPAM) was designed and constructed for sensing ClO− based on substituted triphenylamine and malononitrile, which exhibited obvious colour transfer from orange to colourless under daylight accompanied by noticeable fluorescence change from red to green in response to ClO−. TPAM could effectively monitor ClO− with the merits of fast response, excellent selectivity, high sensitivity and a low detection limit of 0.1014 μM. 1H NMR, mass spectra and theoretical calculations proved that ClO− caused the oxidation of the carbon–carbon double bond in TPAM, resulting in compound 1 and marked changes in colour and fluorescence. In addition, TPAM was utilized for imaging ClO− in living cells successfully with good photostability and biocompatibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Tetraphenylethylene (TPE) foldamers with double hairpin‐turn linkers showing an aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) effect have been synthesized for the first time. A crystal structure of a foldamer–TNT complex has been obtained, enabling unprecedented direct observation of the interactions between TNT molecules and the chromophores of the foldamer. Instead of π–π stacking interactions, which have often been considered to be the key mechanism in the binding of TNT by chromophoric receptors, strong n–π interactions between the nitro groups of TNT and the aromatic rings of the foldamer have been found. Exceptionally, by addition of 1 % NaF to a suspension of the foldamer in H2O/THF (95:5), the fluorescence quenching efficiency by TNT vapor significantly increased from about 20 % to more than 90 %. Even after diluting TNT‐saturated air at 25 °C by a factor of 2×104, an obvious quenching response was observed, indicating that ultratrace TNT vapor (down to 3.4 fg per mL of air) could be detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetraphenylethylene (TPE) and its derivatives are the most typical and most widely studied organic compounds showing aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Due to their propeller-like structures, V-like clefts exist between the aryl rings, which make them promising host compounds. However, such a possibility is seldom explored. Herein, it is reported that TPE derivatives bearing two or four pyridine rings at the para positions of the phenyl rings (TPE-Pys) can selectively include triangular (Δ-like) m-phthalic acid from a mixture of o-, m-, and p-phthalic acids due to their shape complementary to form host-guest co-crystals, which showed redder emission than the TPE-Pys themselves. The emission of co-crystals 1- 5 could be reversibly switched between yellow and red by alternating exposure to HCl and ammonia vapor. The host-guest co-crystals not only exhibited great potential for selectively recognizing and separating m-phthalic acid and as multicolor emission materials, but are also suitable for use as secret ink due to their reversible color change on varying the host-guest interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tetraphenylethylene (TPE) Schiff-base macrocycle showing an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect has been synthesized, which could aggregate into nanospheres and emit yellow fluorescence in aqueous media. By virtue of its AIE effect, the macrocycle showed a sensitive and selective response to 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP) and 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) among a number of nitroaromatic compounds, which could be used to detect TNP and DNP at nanomolar levels. Moreover, it exhibited a superamplified quenching effect with DNP but not with TNP, providing a possible means of discriminating these two compounds. In comparison with open-chain TPE Schiff-bases, the cavity of the macrocycle is essential for the selectivity for DNP over TNP. In addition, quantitative analyses of both DNP and TNP in real water samples and qualitative detection of these two analytes in the solid state by the macrocycle have been tested. The reliability of the quantitative analysis has been confirmed by HPLC. Our findings demonstrate that the TPE Schiff-base macrocycle has great potential as an excellent sensor for DNP and TNP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]