Structure-Activity Relationships for the Solid State Emission of a New Family of "Push-Pull" pi-Extended Chromophores

We report on the design, synthesis, molecular optical properties, and solid state emissive behaviour of a series of novel compounds, which, similarly to the archetypal AIE luminogen tetraphenylethene, are formed by a central olefin stator and decorated with either three or four rotors; the rotors, being either electron-rich substituted benzenes, or electron-withdrawing functional groups (esters, ketones, cyano groups) confer "push-pull" character to the overall molecular structure. Building on both new and already published contributions, a comprehensive picture of the properties and the potential of these compounds is provided.