An Efficient Approach to Pyrene‐based Aggregation‐induced Emission Luminogens

Abstract To suppress the fluorescence quenching of pyrene in the aggregation state, this article presents a facile strategy for the construction of pyrene‐based aggregation‐induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) via decorating the pyrene core with benzophenone units at the 1‐, 2‐ or 2,7‐positions. This set of pyrene‐based compounds 1–3 displayed a weak deep blue fluorescence in solution, but an enhanced excimer emission with λ em max of 426–436 nm in the aggregation state. Interestingly, unlike reported benzophenone derivatives, this series of compounds did not exhibit thermally activated delayed fluorescence/ phosphorescent properties.