A multifunctional supramolecular assembly based on cucurbit[7]uril: White light material and Fe(CN) detection.

White light emitting materials have broad application prospects in fields such as displays, lighting devices, etc., but developing such materials faces considerable challenges. In this study, 1,3,5-tris[4-(pyridine-4-butyl)phenyl]benzene derivative (BTPY) was synthesized and a supramolecular assembly with AIE properties named BTPY@Q[7] was prepared with cucurbit[7]uril (Q[7]). Furthermore, by adding rhodamine 6G (R6G) to it, and controlling its ratio with R6G, a dual-emission white light system (0.33, 0.33) was synthesized and used for white light emitting materials as well as anti-counterfeiting fields. In addition, based on the BTPY@Q[7]-R6G system, a light harvesting system in aqueous phase was constructed, with an energy transfer efficiency (Φ) of 26.19 % and an antenna effect (AE) of 10.21. Interestingly, the supramolecular self-assembly can also be used as a fluorescent probe, specifically recognize Fe(CN) ions in water, with a detection limit of 2.5 × 10 M.