Simultaneously Enhancing Aggregation-Induced Emission and Boosting Two-Photon Absorption Performance of Perylene Diimides through Regioisomerization

The integration of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and two-photon absorption (2PA) into one molecule is very important because such combination would endow the material with synergetic effect for diverse and broader applications. Herein, two regioisomers based on perylene diimide and anthracene moieties are designed and synthesized. The as-prepared compounds exhibit distinct AIE and 2PA properties, where the ortho-substituted one not only exhibits enhanced and accelerated AIE performance, but also displays improved 2PA properties. This research would provide a general approach to explore efficient molecules by the marriage of AIE and 2PA that could improve their performance in various areas.