Self-Assembly of Tetraphenylethene-Based [2]Catenane Driven by Acid Base-Controllable Molecular Switching and Its Enabled Aggregation-Induced Emission

Abstract

A novel [2]catenane 2-C based on the tetraphenylethene (TPE) and orthogonal H-bonded cleft was successfully constructed. VT-NMR and TEM measurements demonstrate that 2-C could be self-assembled to induce an enabled aggregation-induced emission (AIE) in aqueous solution and solid state owing to its TPE unit as well as present unique acid-base controllable and reversible supramolecular self-assembled nanosuperstructures by interplay of a wide range of noncovalent interactions.