Tetraphenylethene Derivatives Bearing Alkylammonium Substituents: Synthesis, Chemical Properties, and Application as BSA, Telomere DNA, and Hydroxyl Radical Sensors

Tetraphenylethene derivatives (TPEs) are used as luminescence probes for the detection of metal ions and biomolecules. These sensors function by monitoring the increase in the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the TPEs resulting from aggregation-induced emission (AIE) upon interaction with the analytes. The AIE behavior of the sensors was investigated by measuring their PL. In this study, PL, PL lifetime, and confocal laser scanning microscopy measurements were carried out as part of our in-depth investigation of AIE behavior of TPEs for the detection of biomolecules and radical species. We used 1,1,2,2-tetrakis(4-((trimethylammonium)alkoxy)phenyl)tetraphenylethene tetrabromide (TPE-C(m)N(+)Me(3)Br(−), m = 2, 4, and 6, where m denotes the number of methylene groups in the alkyl chain) and TPE-C(m)N(+)Me(3)TCNQ(−•) (TCNQ(−•) is the 7,7′,8,8′-tetracyanoquinodimethane anion radical) as luminescent probes for the detection of bovine serum albumin (BSA), DNA, and the hydroxyl radical ((•)OH) generated from Fenton’s reagent. The sensing performance of TPE-C(m)N(+)Me(3)Br(−) for BSA and DNA was found to depend on the length of the alkyl chains (m). UV-vis and PL measurements revealed that the responses of TPE-C(m)N(+)Me(3)Br(−) and TPE-C(4)N(+)TCNQ(−•) to Fenton’s reagent depended on the solvent. The electrochemical properties of the TPE derivatives prepared in this study were additionally investigated via cyclic voltammetry.