Fluorescent turn-on detection and assay of water based on 4-(2-dimethylaminoethyloxy)-N-octadecyl-1,8-naphthalimide with aggregation-induced emission enhancement

The photophysical properties of 4-(2-dimethylaminoethyloxy)-N-octadecyl-1,8-naphthalimide (DON) consisting of donor and acceptor units were investigated in different solutions. Changing from a non-polar to a polar solvent increased the solvent interaction and both the excitation and emission spectra were shifted to longer wavelength and intensity decreased through taking advantage of twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and spectral analyses revealed that such fluorophores were capable of sensing protons by intramolecular charge transfer (ICT). Empirical and quantum mechanical calculations showed that the electron donating effect of the dimethylamino group decreased the change in dipole moment on excitation which resulted in a fluorescence quantum yield remarkably enhanced as the solvent polarity increased. In alkaline media the fluorescence of DON was quenched owing to photoinduced electron transfer being disabled in acidic media. The pKa of the 1,8-naphthailimide dye was 6.70, which defines the dye as a highly efficient “off–on” switch. DON exhibited a typical aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) behavior that it is virtually nonemissive in organic solvent but highly luminescent in water, as a result of the restriction of free intramolecular rotation of a C–N bond and the non-planar configuration in the aggregate state. The hydrophobicity of octadecyl group provided DON with a fluorescent response to water based on AIEE and the water-dependent spectral characteristics of DON, and the AIEE of DON caused by the effect of water and formation of J-aggregation states. In the range of 0–79.8% (v/v), the fluorescence intensity of DON in acetone solution increased as a linear function of the water content. The optimum detection limits were of 0.011%, 0.0021%, and 0.0033% of water in acetone, ethanol, and acetonitrile, respectively. Satisfactory reproducibility, reversibility and a short response time were realized.

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► 4-(2-Dimethylaminoethyloxy)-N-octadecyl-1,8-naphthalimide (DON) was synthesized.
► The effect of solvents on spectral characteristic of DON was investigated.
► Semi-empirical molecular orbital calculations by ADF were studied.
► A fluorometric method of detecting for water content was developed.