Aggregation-Induced Emission in Tetrathia[8]circulene Octaoxides via Restriction of the Dynamic Motion of their Negatively Curved π-Frameworks.

Curved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exhibit intriguing properties, but their flexible and dynamic nature is often considered to be unfavorable for achieving excellent emission properties. In this study, we prepared tetrathia[8]circulene octaoxides that adopt a negatively curved conformation. We found that these molecules exhibit aggregation-induced emission (AIE) that originates from the restriction of the dynamic motion of their saddle-shaped π-frameworks in the solid and aggregated states.