Supramolecular hyperbranched polymers with aggregation-induced emission based on host-enhanced π–π interaction for use as aqueous light-harvesting systems

In this work, we report a simple strategy by mixing a naphthyl-substituted tetraphenylethylene derivative (TPE) and cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) in aqueous solution, based on the host-guest complexation between CB[8] and TPE, to construct supramolecular hyperbranched polymers. The host-guest interaction between CB[8] and TPE efficiently restricted the intramolecular rotation and the non-radiative relaxation channel, thereby resulting in the strong...