Aggregation-Induced Emission of the Hyperbranched Cationic Polymer Based on Bisazopyridines

Azopyridinium salts have the advantages of rapid isomerization of azo groups and amphiphilic self-assembly of pyridine salts as well as high solubility in polar solvents, strong interfacial dipole interaction of ionic parts, ion migration ability under applied electric field, and high molecular aggregation behavior induced by electrostatic interaction. These merits provide unlimited possibilities for molecular design and synthesis of functional materials. In this work, we designed a novel azopyridinium salts with star shape, which show typical AIE property in the mixture of DMSO/H2O solvent due to the influence of aggregation induced planarization and the coupling effect of H-aggregation restricted the cis-trans isomerism of azophenyl groups.