Mechanofluorochromism based on BOPIM complexes: The effect of substituents and regulation of the direction of the emission color changes

Abstract Novel boron 2-(2′-pyridyl)imidazole (BOPIM) complexes T1 , T2 and T3 with different substituents (including bromo, tert -butyl and methoxyl) on the benzene ring of BOPIM dyes have been designed and synthesized, and their optical properties in both solution and the solid state were investigated and compared. The three compounds exhibited typical intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) characteristics. Solvent-dependent UV-vis absorption, fluorescence emission spectra and quantum chemical calculation indicated a molecular push-pull electronic structure. Their ICT degrees increased with the sequence of T1 T2 T3 . The analysis of the X-ray crystal structure revealed the twisted molecular conformation of BOPIM dyes. Furthermore, they showed remarkable reversible mechanofluorochromic (MFC) features under mechanical force. It was found that the MFC activities could be tuned easily by changing the substituents on the BOPIM dyes. T1 exhibited emission color change from bright green to yellowish green with a spectral red-shift of only 22 nm under mechanical stimuli, whereas T2 and T3 gave the large spectral red-shifts of 36 and 30 nm. Electronic and steric effects of the substitutes were proved playing significant roles in regulating the ICT effect and intermolecular interactions. More importantly, the remarkable effect of substituents on the MFC behaviors of BOPIM dyes will provide an effective way to obtain novel high-contrast MFC dyes.