Take your Positions and Shine: Effects of Positioning Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminophores within Sequence-Defined Macromolecules

A luminophore with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is employed for the conjugation onto supramolecular ligands to allow for detection of ligand binding. Supramolecular ligands are based on the combination of sequence-defined oligo(amidoamine) scaffolds and guanidiniocarbonyl-pyrrole (GCP) as binding motif. We hypothesize that AIE properties are strongly affected by positioning of the luminophore within the ligand scaffold. Therefore, we systematically investigate the effects placing the AIE luminophore at different positions within the overall construct, for example, in the main or side chain of the olig(amidoamine). Indeed, we can show that the position within the ligand structure strongly affects AIE, both for the ligand itself as well as when applying the ligand for the detection of different biological and synthetic polyanions.

Automated summary

The use of AIE luminophore for conjugation onto supramolecular ligands enables the detection of ligand binding. The positioning of the luminophore within the ligand scaffold strongly affects the AIE properties. Studies demonstrate that the position within the ligand structure significantly influences the performance of AIE.