Preparation and application of wormlike micelles generated from a rosin-based aggregation-induced emission surfactant through coordinating aggregation

Fluorescent nanomaterials have drawn considerable attentions due to their high fluorescence sensitivity, excellent signal stability and tunable luminescent properties. A bio-based aggregation-induced emission (AIE) surfactant (Sodium 4-(tetraphenylstyrene)maleate, MPA-TPE-Na) was prepared from rosin, which showed typical AIE characteristic, obvious solvatochromism and a large Stokes shift (>100 nm). AIE viscoelastic solutions were further prepared by complexing MPA-TPE-Na and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) through coordinating aggregation and their microstructure, fluorescence properties and viscoelasticities were investigated. The aggregates in the viscoelastic solutions were wormlike micelles. As the concentration of MPA-TPE-Na increased, the fluorescence intensity of the viscoelastic solutions increased, and their viscosity increased at first and then decreased. The fluorescence emission intensity of the viscoelastic solutions was barely affected by the change in pH. But reducing the pH could increase its viscosity. This system can specifically recognize Fe3+ without any organic solvent and has anti-interference ability. The present work provided a bio-based fluorescent nanomaterial and verified the feasibility of preparing aqueous AIE nanomaterials by modifying AIE groups with rosin skeleton.