Multicolor fluorescent supramolecular adhesive gels based on a single molecule with aggregation-induced ratiometric emission

Abstract

Multicolor fluorescent materials, showing various fluorescent colors at the same time, have been applied in biomimetic materials, sensor arrays, and information storage. However, the vast majority of present multicolor fluorescent materials were prepared within a complicated as well as costly process, which was achieved by incorporating a variety of fluorophores. Herein, we designed multicolor fluorescent supramolecular adhesive gels (MSAGs) based on single pyrene benzohydrazonate (PBHZ) fluorophore. When the concentration of PBHZ groups was adjusted, the gel blocks that make up MSAGs exhibited distinct fluorescence colors ranging from blue to bright green due to the aggregation-induced ratiometric emission (AIRE) effect. In addition, as a consequence of 2-ureido-4-pyrimidone (UPy) units containing in the gel blocks, MSAGs could be facilely obtained through interfacial supramolecular adhesion between these gel blocks. Moreover, the resulting MSAGs with various patterns showed superiority in applying to encrypt multiple information.