Photoactivatable aggregation-induced emission of triphenylmethanol

Triphenylmethanol (TPOH) is a non-fluorescent compound. Interestingly, after UV irradiation at 254 nm, TPOH showed a strong blue fluorescence on a solid surface. Moreover, the fluorescence can be quenched by UV irradiation at 365 nm, making the photoactivatable fluorescence reversible. TPOH is thus applied for rewritable photopatterning tuned by UV light.