The enhancement of the D-A effect of an asymmetric Schiff base by introducing acetyl groups into diaminomaleonitrile: synthesis, red fluorescence and crystal structure.

An asymmetrical salen-type organic ligand was designed and synthesized by a new strategy developed using a precursor Ac-DMN, which is a diaminomaleonitrile (DMN) incorporated with an acetyl group. In this study, two types of asymmetrical ligands, namely Ac-DMN-salicylaldehyde (L 0 ) and Ac-DMN-4- N , N -diethyl-salicylaldehyde (L 1 ), and their Zn(ii) coordination complexes were studied. With the electron-pushing substituent, L 1 showed interesting photoluminescence behaviour distinct from that of L 0 . In a THF solution, the maximum fluorescence emission of L 1 red-shifted to 90 nm compared with that of L 0 . Furthermore, in a THF-H 2 O solution, L 1 exhibited aggregation-induced emission (AIE), but L 0 exhibited aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ). Upon coordination with Zn(ii), the maximum emission wavelengths in THF for both the ligands were red-shifted to 100 nm and 105 nm, respectively. The crystalline solid-state photoluminescence properties were studied based on the single-crystal structural analysis.