Rigid Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence of 1,2,3-Triaryl Indenes as an Ultrasensitive Sensor for D2O in H2O.

The intriguing aggregation-induced emission has recently been applied in the electrochemiluminescence, called aggregation-induced electrochemiluminescence (AIE-ECL), which is conducive to solving the water insolubility and aggregation-caused quenching for most organic luminescence probes. However, AIE-ECL still has the problems of low luminous efficiency and limited practical application. In this work, we disclosed the AIE-ECL properties of 1,2,3-triaryl-substituted indenes containing rigid structures. Experimental and theoretical investigations demonstrated that such a rigid structure could significantly enhance the aromaticity and stability and thereby the luminescence performance of these indenes. Moreover, according to the finding of hydrogen/deuterium exchange for active hydrogen in indene under electrical excitation, ultrasensitive detection for D2O in H2O was realized by such an indene-based AIE-ECL system. Our research not only provided an attractive strategy to enhance the luminescence property for an AIE-active luminophore but also established a superior sensor toward D2O.

Aromaticity-Enhanced pH-Responsive Electrochemiluminescence of Cyclopentadienols.

Due to significantly tackling the problems of aggregation-caused quenching and water insolubility, aggregation-induced emission electrochemiluminescence (AIE-ECL) has emerged as a research highlight in aqueous detection and sensing. Herein, we reported a series of cyclopentadienols featuring excellent AIE-ECL properties on the basis of an enhanced aromaticity strategy. In detail, substituents profoundly determined ECL emission by affecting the characteristic absorption peak intensity ratio in UV-vis spectra and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO)-highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energies. It was found that 1,2,3,4,5-pentafluorophenyl cyclopentadienol (PFCD) containing an electron-withdrawing fluorine substituent, the maximum R/B band ratio, and a smaller LUMO-HOMO band gap demonstrated the best ECL performance. Meanwhile, such an AIE-ECL system displayed a wide response range toward pH (4-12) with a good linear relationship. Our research not only enriched polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-based AIE-ECL systems but also established an efficient pH sensor in the aqueous phase.