A fluorescent perylene-assembled polyvinylpyrrolidone film: synthesis, morphology and nanostructure

A fluorescent polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) film with assembled nanostructures is successfully prepared in one pot by using perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (PDA) as the fluorophore. The reactive anhydride groups in PDA play an important role in the covalent bonding of fluorescent molecules in the fluorescent PVP film, which has been demonstrated by a small-molecule model reaction. Interestingly, rod-like structures are found on the surface of the fluorescent film, which is attributed to the π-π interaction of PDA that occurred in the crosslinked PVP film. Further polarized optical microscopy (POM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical analyses demonstrate the stable existence of π-conjugated nanostructures in the fluorescent PDA-based PVP film. The reactive anhydrides and the π-π interaction of perylene molecules are essential for the fabrication of the fluorescent perylene-assembled PVP film. This method could be extended to the preparation of the fluorescent PVP film with self-assembled nanostructures.