Dynamic rotaxane-branched dendrimers with precisely arranged luminogens for efficient light harvesting

Although the development of artificial light-harvesting systems (LHSs) has attracted increasing attention, the construction of novel artificial LHSs with co-existed various types of precisely arranged luminogens has been still a major challenge. Herein, starting from [2]rotaxane building blocks AN-R or TPE-R functionalized with either anthracene or tetraphenylethene (TPE) moiety, a family of novel rotaxane-branched dendrimers containing two types of energy donors on the branches and one pyrene moiety at the central core as energy acceptor have been successfully constructed through a facile, efficient, and controllable divergent approach. Notably, attributed to the solvent-induced switching feature of the rotaxane branches, the integrated rotaxane-branched dendrimers displayed an interesting dynamic feature. More importantly, as revealed by fluorescence spectra, the resultant rotaxane-branched dendrimers displayed enhanced antenna effects along with the increase of dendrimer generation. Therefore, these rotaxane-branched dendrimers described herein could serve as not only promising platforms for light harvesting but also excellent candidates for the construction of smart supramolecular materials for practical applications. (c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.