Substituent-Induced Aggregated State Electrochemiluminescence of Tetraphenylethene Derivatives

The development of highly active, eco-friendly, and structurely fine-tunable organic luminophores is currently desirable for electrochemiluminescence (ECL). Tetraphenylethene (TPE) derivatives are the most representative aggregation-induced emission characteristic (AIEgens). In contrast, their aggregation-induced ECLs have not been detail studied. Herein, we report the bright cathodic aggregated state ECL of TPE derivatives by a coreactant approach. In this system, the substituents profoundly affect ECL emissions by changing the relative intensities of R and B band intensity ratios in their UV-vis spectra as well as the HOMO and LUMO energies. It was discovered that electron-withdrawing nitro-substituted TPE-(NO2)(4) with a smaller LUMO/HOMO band gap and stronger R band featured the strongest ECL emissions and became the best luminophore for the highly efficient detection of iodide (I-) in the aqueous phase. This work not only reveals the influence of R and B bands in TPE derivative UV-vis spectra on their optical properties but also constructs a novel aggregation-induced ECL sensing.