Organic fluorescent nanoparticles, excitation-dependent photoluminescence, hydrogen-bonded clusters and lysobisphosphatidic acid are four interesting individual topics in materials and biological sciences. They have attracted much attention not only because of their unique properties and important applications, but also because the nature of their intriguing phenomena remained unclear. Here we report a new type of organic fluorescent nanoparticles with intense blue and excitation-dependent visible fluorescence in the range of 410–620 nm. The nanoparticles are composed of ten bis(monoacylglycerol)bisphenol-A molecules and the self-assembly occurs only in elevated concentrations of 2-monoacylglycerol via radical-catalysed 3,2-acyl migration from 3-monoacylglycerol in neat conditions. The excitation-dependent fluorescence behaviour is caused by chromophores composed of hydrogen-bonded monoacylglycerol clusters, which are linked by an extensive hydrogen-bonding network between the ester carbonyl groups and the protons of the alcohols with collective proton motion and HO···C=O (n→π*) interactions.

A series of 1-carbamoylmethyl-3-ethoxycarbonylmethylpyridinium salts with different anions (PF₆ ⁻ (1), BF₄ ⁻ (2), OTf⁻ (3) and Br⁻ (4)) have been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The L-shaped pyridinium cation moieties provide rich C–H donors and serve as building blocks to form grid structures with PF₆ ⁻ and BF₄ ⁻, a zig-zag stair structure with OTf⁻ and a bilayer structure with Br⁻ anions.

Two series of nicotinamide based ionic liquid crystalline compounds, 3-carbamoyl-1-alkylpyridin-1-ium salts ([Nia–Cn]₂X, X = CuCl₄ ^{2 −} and ZnCl₄ ^{2 −}; n = 12, 14 and 16), have been synthesized and characterized by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, DSC and POM. Both series form interdigitated bilayers in the solid state and liquid crystalline phase. The ionic layers of the two salts are stabilized mainly by four N–H⋯Cl and six C–H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds per anion and has sacrificed the formation of strong N–H⋯OC hydrogen bonding in the solid state. However, the N–H⋯Cl and N–H⋯OC hydrogen bonds dominate in the mesophase at high temperature to cause a significant increase of the thickness of the ionic layer.

A series of N,N′-dihexylbenzimidazolium salts with three anions, Br ⁻, I⁻ and PF₆ ⁻, have been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. These salts exhibit some anion-independent structural properties, which include the U-shaped conformation, the interdigitated bilayer packing and the thickness of the ionic layer. These salts also show anion-controlled inter-headgroup interactions; the benzimidazolium headgroups form a dimer motif via π–π interaction when the anions are Br ⁻ and I⁻, however, a 1D catemer motif is formed via C–H⋯π interactions when the anion is PF₆ ⁻. The influence of the anion sizes on the arrangement of the benzimidazolium headgroups and the alkyl chains is discussed, with particular reference to the areas of the four adjacent headgroups and the degree of the alkyl chain tilting angles

A series of 1-acetamido-3-(2-pyrimidyl)-imidazolium salts with different anions (Br⁻ (1), NO₃ ⁻ (2), PF₆ ⁻ (3) and BF₄ ⁻ (4)) have been synthesized and characterized using single crystal X-ray diffraction. The crescent imidazolium moieties provide rich C–H donors and serve as building blocks to either convergently form helical tubes with Br⁻ and NO₃ ⁻, or divergently form 1-D catemers with PF₆ ⁻ and BF₄ ⁻ anions.

In this paper, it is reported that a metal-free and non-conjugated polymer, MA-PEG 8000-BADGE (MP8B), exhibits an antireflective property and substrate-dependent photoluminescence (SDP). MP8B was constructed from maleic anhydride, poly(ethylene glycol) and bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether. Self-assembled nanoparticles are found in MP8B and can prospectively act as scattering centers to improve light trapping and extraction. MP8B films prepared from MP8B solutions have been characterized by photoluminescence (PL), atomic force microscopy (AFM), tunnelling electron microscope (TEM), reflectance, transmittance, and UV-Vis absorption spectrum. MP8B films can suppress light reflection and enhance light transmission. The PL spectrum of MP8B film on ITO peaks at approximately 538 nm, spanning from 450 to 660 nm at a concentration of 25 mM. Meanwhile, the effects of concentration and substrate on the PL of MP8B films are also investigated in this study. Surface roughness becomes larger with concentration. A red shift of the PL spectrum is observed as solution concentration increases. Meanwhile, aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) is insignificant. Moreover, the PL spectra of MP8B films show a substrate-dependent phenomenon due to dielectric screening. The optical band-gap energy of MP8B is approximately 4.05 eV. It is concluded that MP8B is a promising candidate for a host material, and its film can be utilized as a multifunctional layer (i.e., antireflective and light-scattering functions) for optoelectronic applications.