Rehealable and Recyclable Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE)-Active Luminescent Vitrimers

Incorporating an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effectintopolymers will lead to intriguing solid-state fluorescent materials(i.e., AIE-active polymers) that have great potential in optoelectronicsand sensing applications. In this work, a series of AIE-active polyiminevitrimers (TPE-PIs), containing different loadings of tetraphenylethene(TPE) moieties, have been successfully prepared where AIE-active monomersare chemically integrated into the PI network, either as side chainsor in the backbone of the polymer network. The studies reveal thatTPE-PIs not only inherit the merits of PI vitrimer (i.e., rehealability,malleability, recyclability) but also provide enhanced mechanical(compared to thermoplastic AIE-active polymers) and luminescent properties(compared to pristine AIE-inactive PIs). Larger enhancement couldbe achieved when TPE moieties are installed in the polymer backbones,in comparison to those installed in the side chains. Furthermore,their photoluminescence intensity could be significantly enhancedin an underwater environment, exhibiting great potential in underwaterapplications for luminescent sensing and/or light-emitting.