Development of solid-state emissive o-carboranes and theoretical investigation of the mechanism of the aggregation-induced emission behaviors of organoboron "element-blocks".

This paper presents the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties of o-carborane derivatives and proposes a potential strategy for constructing AIE-active organoboron complexes via the enhancement of freedom of intramolecular mobility. Initially, the optical properties of o-carborane derivatives with or without the fused ring structure at the C-C bond in o-carborane in which elongation should be induced by photo-excitation according to theoretical calculations were compared. Accordingly, it was shown that large mobility at the C-C bond in o-carborane should be responsible for the annihilation of emission in solution, leading to the AIE property. From this result, it was presumed that by enhancing the freedom of intramolecular mobility in conventional luminescent organoboron complexes, the deactivation of the excited state in solution and emission recovery in the aggregate can be induced. Based on this idea, we have performed several studies and introduce two representative results. Firstly, the decrease in luminescent properties of boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) in solution by introducing a movable functional group is explained. Next, the AIE behaviors of boron ketoiminates and the potential mechanism concerning conformational changes for the deactivation of the excited state in the solution state are illustrated. It is proposed that enhancement of the freedom of mobility in the excited state of luminescent organoboron complexes could be a potential strategy for realizing AIE behaviors.

Enhancement of Aggregation-Induced Emission by Introducing Multiple o-Carborane Substitutions into Triphenylamine.

The enhancement of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is presented on the basis of the strategy for improving solid-state luminescence by employing multiple o-carborane substituents. We synthesized the modified triphenylamines with various numbers of o-carborane units and compared their optical properties. From the optical measurements, the emission bands from the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state were obtained from the modified triphenylamines. It was notable that emission efficiencies of the multi-substituted triphenylamines including two or three o-carborane units were enhanced 6- to 8-fold compared to those of the mono-substituted triphenylamine. According to mechanistic studies, it was proposed that the single o-carborane substitution can load the AIE property via the TICT mechanism. It was revealed that the additional o-carborane units contribute to improving solid-state emission by suppressing aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ). Subsequently, intense AIEs were obtained. This paper presents a new role of the o-carborane substituent in the enhancement of AIEs.

Solid-State Emission of the Anthracene-o-Carborane Dyad from the Twisted-Intramolecular Charge Transfer in the Crystalline State.

The emission process of the o-carborane dyad with anthracene originating from the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state in the crystalline state is described. The anthracene-o-carborane dyad was synthesized and its optical properties were investigated. Initially, the dyad had aggregation- and crystallization-induced emission enhancement (AIEE and CIEE) properties via the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state. Interestingly, the dyad presented the dual-emissions assigned to both locally excited (LE) and ICT states in solution. From the mechanistic studies and computer calculations, it was indicated that the emission band from the ICT should be attributable to the TICT emission. Surprisingly, even in the crystalline state, the TICT emission was observed. It was proposed from that the compact sphere shape of o-carborane would allow for rotation even in the condensed state.

Design of Thermochromic Luminescent Dyes Based on the Bis(ortho-carborane)-Substituted Benzobithiophene Structure.

To obtain solid-state emissive materials having stimuli-responsive luminescent chromic properties without phase transition, benzobithiophenes modified with two o-carborane units having various substituents in the adjacent phenyl ring in o-carborane were designed and synthesized. Their emission colors were strongly affected not only by the substituents at the para-position of the phenyl ring but also by molecular distribution in the solid state. In particular, the emission colors were changed by heating without crystal phase transition. It was proposed that their thermochromic properties were correlated not with isomerization but with the molecular motion at the distorted benzobithiophene moiety.

Time-Dependent Emission Enhancement of the Ethynylpyrene-o-Carborane Dyad and Its Application as a Luminescent Color Sensor for Evaluating Water Contents in Organic Solvents.

The time-dependent emission enhancement (TDEE) phenomena of the 1-(o-carboran-1-yl)ethynylpyrene dyad were reported. It was found that the emission intensity from the dyad increased in tetrahydrofuran (THF), acetone and dichloromethane with increasing incubation time. From the mechanistic studies, it was suggested that agglomeration of the dyad gradually proceeded in these media, followed by expression of excimer luminescence. Additionally, it was shown that the rates of TDEE of the dyad were sensitively accelerated in the presence of a trace amount of water. Based on this fact, a detection system for water contents in acetone was constructed. Before and after incubation for 96 h at room temperature, time courses of changes in optical properties were monitored. Finally, water contents in acetone can be estimated by the degrees of TDEE and emission color changes in the range from 0.1 wt % to 2.0 wt % and from 2.0 wt % to 20 wt %, respectively.

Luminescence Color Tuning from Blue to Near Infrared of Stable Luminescent Solid Materials Based on Bis-o-Carborane-Substituted Oligoacenes.

Aryl-substituted o-carboranes have shown highly efficient solid-state emission in previous studies. To demonstrate color tuning of the solid-state emission in an aryl-o-carborane-based system, bis-o-carborane-substituted oligoacenes were synthesized and their properties were systematically investigated. Optical and electrochemical measurements revealed efficient decreases in energy band gaps and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels by adding a number of fused benzene rings for the extension of π-conjugation. As a consequence, bright solid-state emission was observed in the region from blue to near infrared (NIR). Furthermore, various useful features were obtained from the modified o-carboranes as an optical material. The naphthalene derivatives exhibited aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and almost 100 % quantum efficiency in the crystalline state. Furthermore, it was shown that the tetracene derivative with NIR-emissive properties had high durability toward photo-bleaching under UV irradiation.

Development of Solid-State Emissive Materials Based on Multifunctional o-Carborane-Pyrene Dyads.

The molecular design based on o-carborane dyads is described for preparing multifunctional luminescent molecules such as dual emissions, aggregation and crystallization-induced emission enhancements, and luminescent color changes. The pyrene-substituted o-carborane dyads were synthesized via the insertion reaction between decaborane and 1-ethynylpyrene in the presence of Lewis base in a good yield. Finally, extremely bright luminescent compounds with solid-state emission properties (ΦPL > 0.99) were obtained.