High circularly polarized luminescence based on hydrogen-bonding columnar mesophase of an AIE-active mesogen with stronger D-A structure

A high luminescence asymmetry factor (g lum ) and an excellent luminescence quantum yield in aggregated state are crucial factors for evaluating the application potential of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials, yet achieving both simultaneously remains challenging. In this work, two AIE-active fluorogens based on two conjugated cyano-distyrylbenzenes attaching one or two cholesterol moieties with amide groups as spacers ( BiCDB-1Ch and BiCDB-2Ch ) were designed and synthesized. Both BiCDB-1Ch and BiCDB-2Ch showed the excellent CPL properties in aggregated states based on their hydrogen-bonding columnar liquid crystalline self-assembly. The absolute fluorescence quantum yield of BiCDB-1Ch with stronger D-A structure was 0.43 and the g lum value was as high as 0.30, which was the highest one among the reported columnar CPL liquid crystals. The detailed liquid crystalline self-assembly behaviour and the mechanism of efficient chirality transfer and amplification were elucidated, providing a strategic approach for developing the novel liquid crystalline materials with superior CPL performance.