Pyrene-attached new Schiff base polymer: ACQ to AIE conversion and its prospects

Schiff base polymer (SBP) is a new research field and an excellent candidate for real-life applications such as photoresistors, fluorescent chemical sensing kits, electrochromic devices, flame-retarders, and electrochemical substances. The dye-containing SBP (DSBP) advances the material further. Herein, the quality of pyrene dye has been improved through its chemical attachment to polyethyleneimine by a facile Schiff base reaction. The new Schiff base polymer (SBP) converts water-insoluble aggregation-causing quenched (ACQ) dye into a highly water-soluble aggregation-induced emissive (AIE) dye. The computational analysis (geometry optimization, FMO analysis, MEP, etc.) elucidates the nature of aggregation (H, J, X, etc.) and its impact on AIE properties. The AIE system is suitable for fabricating a pH sensor, a fluorescence logic gate, and a reusable chemical sensing kit.