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Fluorescein-bridged Perylene Bisimide Dimer for Use as Liquid Crystal: Studies on Mesomorphic and Fluorescence Properties

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Abstract

A novel fluorescein-bridged perylene bisimide (PBI) dimer for liquid crystal (LC) with geometrically symmetric structure was developed. The mesomorphic results indicated that the energetically stable and unstable conformers of fluorescein fragments could lead to the transformation of mesophases from a hexagonal columnar mesophase to an uncertain phase at 136.9 °C in heating, whilst a stable hexagonal columnar mesophase maintained between 175.6 °C and 58.6 °C in cooling. The selectively excited fluorescence characters in THF solution demonstrated that the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) effect between fluorescein fragments and PBI unites could provide a means to effectively impose strong fluorescence of the dimeric PBIs modified with suitable chromophore at the N-imide position, which alternatively serves as a platform for the further study of multi-functional PBI-based LCs.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No: 21406036), Fujian Science, Technology Project (No. 2019N0010) and the Key Research Program in Neijiang Normal University (2020).

Funding

The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No: 21406036), Fujian Science, Technology Project (No. 2019N0010) and the Key Research Program in Neijiang Normal University (2020).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, P. R. China

    Mingguang Zhu, Hongyu Guo & Fafu Yang

  2. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Neijiang Normal University, Neijiang, 641100, P. R. China

    Mingguang Zhu & Meihui Chen

  3. Fujian Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials, Fuzhou, 350007, P. R. China

    Hongyu Guo

  4. Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced, Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou, 350007, P. R. China

    Fafu Yang

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  1. Mingguang Zhu
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  2. Meihui Chen
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  3. Hongyu Guo
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  4. Fafu Yang
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Contributions

M. Z.: experiments and data treatment; M. C.: synthesis of the target compound; H. G.: some measurements of fluorescence and mesomorphic properties; F. Y.: study design and writing of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mingguang Zhu or Fafu Yang.

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Zhu, M., Chen, M., Guo, H. et al. Fluorescein-bridged Perylene Bisimide Dimer for Use as Liquid Crystal: Studies on Mesomorphic and Fluorescence Properties. J Fluoresc 31, 1555–1565 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10895-021-02793-2

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