Color-Tunable Cyano-Substituted Divinylene Arene Luminogens as Fluorescent π‑Gelators

The synthesis of three cyano-substituted divinylene π-gelators is reported. The modulation of the color is achieved by placing the cyano groups in appropriate position of the conjugated backbone, thus modulating the donor–acceptor interaction. Variable-temperature UV–vis data have been utilized to investigate the self-assembly of the gelators <b>1</b>–<b>3</b> that is governed by a cooperative mechanism. A complete set of photophysical parameters (Φ_F,τ, <i>k</i>_r and <i>k</i>_nr) demonstrate the role of the molecular aggregation in enhanced emission upon self-assembly