Aggregation-induced phosphorescence and mechanochromic luminescence of a tetraphenylethene-based gold(I) isocyanide complex

Abstract In this study, a new twisting gold(I) isocyanide complex based on tetraphenylethene (TPE), TPE-NC-Au, was designed and synthesized. It exhibits aggregation induced phosphorescence (AIP) characteristics, owing to the incorporation of Au moiety and conformation rigidification in the aggregated states. Moreover, the emission color of the crystalline solid of TPE-NC-Au changes from blue (454 nm) to green (500 nm) in response to mechanical grinding, due to the combined effects of conformation planarization, enhanced π ⋯ π stacking, as well as the emergence of aurophilic interactions in the ground amorphous state. Notably, the emission color can be restored upon solvent fuming, associating with the reconstruction of crystalline lattices. The AIP and switchable mechanochromism of TPE-NC-Au make it suitable for potential applications in bioimaging, sensing, and optoelectronic devices.