Polyhedral oligosilsesquioxane tethered tetraphenylethylene as turn-on fluorescent sensor for fluoride ions detection

A novel tetraphenylethylene derivative tethered with polyhedral oligosilsesquioxane nanocages (TPE-POSS) was designed and synthesized as turn-on fluorescent sensor for detection of F- . The aggregation-induced emission (AIE) property, self-assembly behavior and detection mechanism of the complex were then elucidated by UV-vis absorption spectra, photoluminescence spectra and dynamic light scattering experiments. The results reveal that POSS nanocages can collapse due to the Si-O bond cleavage with the present of F- . The POSS nanocages collapse then trigger the AIE activity of TPE luminogens, endowing TPE-POSS with excellent turn-on detecting ability, high selectivity and sensitivity to F-, with a detection limit as low as 1.66 x 10(-7) M.