Synthesis, solvatochromism, aggregation-induced emission and cell imaging of tetraphenylethene-containing BODIPY derivatives with large Stokes shifts

A series of tetraphenylethene-containing BODIPYs with emissions from visible to near-IR and large Stokes shifts up to 142 nm have been designed and synthesized. They show solvatochromic fluorescence and can be utilized as fluorescent visualizers for intracellular imaging.