Luminescent aggregates of a starburst silole-triphenylamine adduct for sensitive explosive detection

A starburst luminogen (THPSTPA) consisting of a triphenylamine core and 1,1,2,3,4,5-hexaphenylsilole peripheries is designed and synthesized. Whereas it is weakly luminescent when molecularly dissolved in good solvent, it becomes highly emissive when aggregated in poor solvent, exhibiting a novel phenomenon of aggregation-induced emission (AIE). THPSTPA is morphologically and thermally stable, showing high glass transition and thermal degradation temperatures at 150 and 303 °C, respectively. The emission of its aggregates can be quenched exponentially by picric acid with a quenching constant up to ∼7.0 × 104 L mol−1, suggesting that it can work as a sensitive chemosensor for explosive detection.

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► A starburst luminogen (THPSTPA) based on triphenylamine and silole is synthesized.
► It features aggregation-induced emission.
► The aggregates of the luminogen can sensitively detect explosives.