New Butterfly-Shaped Naphthalimide-Based AIE Gens: Synthesis and Photophysical Properties

Two novel naphthalimide derivatives PTZNI-Cz and PTZNI-TPA were successfully designed and synthesized, in which phenothiazine, triphenylamine and carbazole were used as electron donors and naphthalimide was used as the electron acceptor. Their photophysical, electrochemical, and thermal properties were investigated. These derivatives showed remarkable aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect. Furthermore, the maximum emission peaks of PTZNI-Cz and PTZNI-TPA in the thin film state are at 610 nm and 623 nm respectively, which is typical of red fluorescent materials.