Tetraphenylethylene-based porous organic polymers were synthesized efficiently through a Suzuki coupling polycondensation or oxidative coupling polymerization. According to the obtained nitrogen physisorption isotherms, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area values for these porous materials vary between 472 and 810 m² g⁻¹. Using the same linker monomer, the specific surface area of copolymer materials (TPOP-3 or TPOP-5) prepared by two different core structural monomers (tetraphenylethylene and spirobifluorene) is higher than those of the respective homopolymers. Gravimetric hydrogen adsorption isotherms show that the adsorption capacity for hydrogen is up to 1.07 wt% at 1.13 bar and 77 K. Furthermore, incorporation of tetraphenylethylene moieties into these polymers can induce high photoluminescence (λ_max: 530–610 nm) in the solid state. Thanks to the propeller-like structure and aggregation-induced emission characteristics, tetraphenylethylene is to be a promising building block for designing porous polymers with special properties.

Grafting of glucosamine hydrochloride moieties to tetraphenylethylene (TPE) motif furnished a novel cationic water-soluble tetraphenylethylene derivative (GH-TPE). With aggregation-induced emission properties, GH-TPE was used for fluorometric detection to alkaline phosphatase through enzyme-triggered de-aggregation of the ensemble of GH-TPE and substrate.

Hypercrosslinked carbazole-based porous organic polymers were prepared via FeCl₃-promoted one-step oxidative coupling reaction and Friedel–Crafts alkylation in one pot.