Circularly Polarized Luminescence of Axially Chiral Binaphthyl Fluorophores

Axially chiral fluorophores bearing a variety of functionalities have been successfully developed using chiral binaphthyl units. These axially chiral binaphthyl fluorophores emit circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) in their solution-dissolved states, organic polymer-film-dispersed states, and inorganic pellet-dispersed states. The CPL emitted from an axially chiral binaphthyl fluorophore is easily tuned by (1) adjusting the dihedral angle in the binaphthyl unit, (2) employing the neighboring group effect between binaphthyl units, and (3) controlling their external environments, without the need for the enantiomeric compound.