Tunable Cluster Luminescence and High Quantum Yield in Amine-Modified Maleic Anhydride Polymers

Cluster luminescent materials (CLgens) with nonconjugated structures have attracted considerable attention. However, their low quantum yield and limited emission wavelengths, which are confined to the blue-green spectrum, continue to restrict their applicability. In this study, maleic anhydride polymer chains were modified with N-tristyrylene-1,2-diamine (TPM-NH2), creating a secondary donor–acceptor structure through freely rotatable phenyl groups and amino–anhydride interactions. This modification facilitated the formation of charge transfer (CT) states and strengthened the through-space interaction (TSI), resulting in a remarkable red shift in emission wavelength from 400 to 640 nm. The flexible ethyl chain acted as a bridging unit within this framework, enhancing through-space charge transfer (TSCT) and elevating the quantum yield (QY) to 28.28%. This research offers a strategy for improving the QY of anhydride copolymers and demonstrates the potential for controllable emission wavelengths, thereby broadening their application domains, including in light-conversion agricultural films.