A donor–acceptor (D–A) cruciform conjugated luminophore DMCS-TPA was designed and synthesized. The DMCS-TPA solid shows both aggregation induced emission (AIE) effect and high contrast mechanochromic (MC) behavior with a remarkable spectral shift of 87 nm. The obvious fluorescence switching from yellowish green to orange can be realized by pressing at only 10 MPa or simply grinding. The photophysical properties, theory calculation and XPS results demonstrate that the extension of the conjugation length and subsequent enhancement of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) transition are responsible for the improved MC performance. In addition, DMCS-TPA is readily deposited on the ITO electrode surface by the electrochemical method to form an electrochromic (EC) film with multiple colours showing (light green at 0 V, red at 1 V, grey at 1.1 V and blue at 1.45 V) and a high optical contrast of 65% at 769 nm. The results suggest that incorporation of electroactive moieties into luminophores to constitute D–A cruciform conjugated structures is a promising design strategy for preparing dual functional materials combining MC and EC properties.

Cyanostilbene derivatives with the aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) activity are prepared by Knoevenagel and Suzuki reactions. Among them, the dye (Z)-2,3-bis(4′-(diphenylamino)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)acrylonitrile (CNS-4) nanoparticle suspension shows the polarity-dependent characteristics of the fluorescence properties. By the fluorescence spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, the restriction of transfer from the local excited (LE) state to the intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) state and crystal formation results in a blue-shift in emission and enhances the intensity in the aggregate state. Additionally, the luminophors CNS-3 and CNS-4 possess the AIEE effect as well as mechanochromic fluorescent properties. This mechanofluorochromic behavior originates from the change between the crystalline and the amorphous state.

A triphenylamine-based organic luminophor (TPA-CO) with a highly distorted structure has been designed and effortlessly obtained by an Ullmann reaction. The luminophor exhibits a stimuli-induced emission enhancement effect and intramolecular charge transfer properties. The fluorescence efficiency of its crystals is dramatically increased from 0.4% to 12.3% upon grinding. The emission enhancement is also realized by a heating process. The “bright” state can recover its original state and turn “dark”. The luminescence “on–off” behaviour is repeatedly transformed by a grinding–vapour process or by a heating process. The XRD patterns of the “bright” and “dark” states show that the change of emission intensity is related to the reversible transition between the crystalline state and the metastable amorphous state. At the molecular level, the emission enhancement upon external stimuli may be attributed to conformational planarization and weak intermolecular interactions.