HARNESSING AGGREGATION-INDUCED EMISSION (AIE) OF TETRAPHENYLETHYLENES IN METAL ION SENSING AND LUMINESCENT METAL-ORGANIC FRAMEWORKS

Abstract

Tetraphenylethylene derivatives have emerged as valuable building blocks for construction of luminescent molecular sensor materials based on their ability to display aggregation induced emission. This paper summarizes recent efforts aimed at combining the luminescent properties of tetraphenylethylenes with metal ligating capability as a means to achieve metal ion detection. Research describing the incorporation of tetraphenylethylene ligands in metal-organic frameworks is also discussed. Though these areas of investigation have not received a great deal of attention, metal coordination complexes of tetraphenylethylenes show tremendous promise as switchable fluorescent sensors/indicators with a variety of potential applications.