Aromatic difluoroboron β-ketoiminate complexes: effect of substituents on mechanofluorochromism and polymorphic behavior

Abstract Aromatic difluoroboron β-ketoiminate complexes (ketimBF2) are structural nitrogen-containing analogues of aromatic difluoroboron β-diketonates (diketBF2). Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and polymorphic behavior allow ketimBF2 to exhibit mechanofluorochromic (MFC) properties. A detailed comparative study of the luminescence of a wide range of ketimBF2 with H- and CH3-substituents of nitrogen atom and diketBF2 with various substituents of the chelate ring (methyl, phenyl, toluoyl, anisoyl, biphenyl, naphthyl, anthracyl) in the solid state was carried out. As a result, regularities of the influence of substituents on the luminescent and MFC properties for 21 dyes have been established.