Benzo[c,d]indole-Containing Aza-BODIPY Dyes: Asymmetrization-Induced Solid-State Emission and Aggregation-Induced Emission Enhancement as New Properties of a Well-Known Chromophore

Abstract

A series of symmetric and asymmetric benzo[c,d]indole-containing aza boron dipyrromethene (aza-BODIPY) compounds was synthesized by a titanium tetrachloride-mediated Schiff-base formation reaction of commercially available benzo[c,d]indole-2(1H)-one and heteroaromatic amines. These aza-BODIPY analogues show different electronic structures from those of regular aza-BODIPYs, with hypsochromic shifts of the main absorption compared to their BODIPY counterparts. In addition to the intense fluorescence in solution, asymmetric compounds exhibited solid-state fluorescence due to significant contribution of the vibronic bands to both absorption and fluorescence as well as reduced fluorescence quenching in the aggregates. Finally, aggregation-induced emission enhancement, which is rare in BODIPY chromophores, was achieved by introducing a nonconjugated moiety into the core structure.