Phenothiazine-oxadiazole push-pull fluorophores: Combining high quantum efficiency, excellent electrochemical stability and facile functionalization

Abstract A series of five novel sky-blue to green emitting push-pull fluorophores based on phenothiazine donor and 1,3,4-oxadiazole acceptor were synthesized and characterized. Their doped thin films (5 wt% in PMMA) showed high quantum efficiencies (Ф PL ) from 0.63 to 0.77. These fluorophores also underwent remarkably reversible oxidations and reductions suggesting their excellent electrochemical stability. Facile tuning of photophysical, thermal and electrochemical properties of the fluorophores could be achieved by optimizing the functional group attached to the 1,3,4-oxadiazole moiety. Finally, we propose that further functionalization of these fluorophores can be easily achieved and as a proof of concept the synthesis of a vinyl polymer derivative Poly(PO-Tol) was demonstrated.