Tetraphenylethene-Based Star Shaped Porphyrins: Synthesis, Self-assembly, and Optical and Photophysical Study

Anushri Rananaware, Rajesh S. Bhosale, Kei Ohkubo, Hemlata Patil, Lathe A. Jones, Sam L. Jackson, Shunichi Fukuzumi, Sidhanath V. Bhosale, Sheshanath V. Bhosale

Supramolecular self-assembly and self-organisation are simple and convenient ways to design and create controlled assemblies with organic molecules, and they have provoked great interest due to their potential applications in various fields such as electronics, photonics, and light-energy conversion. Herein, we describe the synthesis of two pi-conjugated porphyrin molecules bearing tetraphenylethene moities with high fluorescence quantum yield. Photophysical and electrochemical studies were conducted to understand the physical and redox properties of these new materials, respectively. Furthermore, these derivatives used to investigate self-assembly via the solvophobic effect. The self-assembled aggregation was performed in non-polar and polar organic solvents which forms nanospheres and ring-like nanostructures, respectively. The solution based aggregation was studied by means of UV-vis absorption, emission, XRD and DLS analyses. Self-assembled ring-shape structures were visualised by SEM and TEM imaging. This ring-shape morphology of nanosized macromolecules might be good candidates for the creation of artificial light-harvesting nanodevices.