Interplay between Dual-State and Aggregation-Induced Emission with ESIPT Scaffolds Containing Triphenylamine Substituents: Experimental and Theoretical Studies

We detail the synthesis of a series of fluorophores containingtriphenylamine derivatives along with their photophysical, electrochemical,and electronic structure properties. These compounds include molecularstructures derived from imino-phenol (anil) and hydroxybenzoxazolescaffolds originating from similar salicylaldehyde derivatives anddisplay excited-state intramolecular proton transfer. We show thatdepending on the nature of the & pi;-conjugated scaffold, differentphotophysical processes are observed: aggregation-induced emissionor dual-state emission, with a modulation of the fluorescence colorand redox properties. The photophysical properties are further rationalizedwith the help of ab initio calculations.