Fluorescent Nanowires from Dual-State Emitting Fluorophores Directed by Molecular Motors and Aggregation-Induced Emission: Produce Quantized Light Spectrum

Luminescent materials require systems that exhibit both dual-state emission (DSE) and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) to overcome the limitation of aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ). Herein, a molecular assembler capable of crafting nanowires that exhibit programmable fluorescence across a broad spectrum of colors in a precisely quantized manner is reported. Because it is a starburst dendritic box made of PAMAM dendrimer (P), controller (C) molecules, and motor (M) molecules, the assembler is called PCM. Here, Nile red is chosen as C and placed into the hollow core of the dendrimer; a double ratchet motor (DRM) is chosen as M and is connected to the N-terminals of the PAMAM dendrimer. While aqueous dispersed PCM assemblers have broad fluorescence bands beyond 300 nm, their crafted nanowires produce quantized cyan-green, yellow, and orange-red light emission in the spectra. These PCM assemblers are shown to hold long-term memory, rapid switching, and energy harvesting by modulating photonic bandgaps, causing a longer redshift in the solid phase. The DSE of PCM can yield versatile photonics applications like bioimaging and energy harvesting. As PCM nanowires can modulate photonic bandgaps to cause a longer redshift, PCM fluorophores hold promise for drug delivery and cell separation like infrared-sensitive operations. PCM fluorophores, comprising PAMAM dendrimers (P), controller (C) molecules, and motor (M) molecules (double ratchet motors (DRM)), self-assemble into nanowires under electrolysis that shows programmable fluorescence from cyan-green to orange-red. Thus, PCM exhibit dual-state emission both in solution and solid states, and their aggregation-induced emission from nanowires holds promises of versatile applications in photonics, optoelectronics, and biomedical fields. image