To gain more insight into the fluorescence response of PPTH to polarity and whether PPTH is AIE-active, the UV–vis spectra and fluorescence emission spectra of PPTH in the mixture of 1,4-dioxane (high solubility) and water (low solubility) were performed at 25 ℃. Obviously, the absorption spectra changed very little (
Fig. 1A). Surprisingly, PPTH is weakly emissive in 1,4-dioxane and the fluorescence rises with increasing water fraction gradually. This is accompanied by an obviously maximum emission wavelength redshift. This is contrary to the typical ICT effect phenomenon and may be under low polarity conditions (low water content), the probe PPTH emits a weak and short fluorescence due to its weak interaction with the solvent, where the molecules are dispersed. As the water (low solubility) content increases, the polarity of the solution is enhanced, and due to the interaction with the solvent, a large charge separation and the excited state energy dissipation may occur. Also in low solubility solvents, the restriction of intramolecular torsion caused by the aggregation of the probe in the solvent, AIE synergizes with polarity, resulting in strong and long fluorescence. Fluorescence spectra of PPTH (10 µmol/L) in 1,4-dioxane/H
2O mixture (0%–99% H
2O) and variation of maximum emission wavelength with water content were performed in Fig. S3 (Supporting information). Under excitation at 450 nm, in 1,4-dioxane, the fluorescence peak of 10 µmol/L PPTH was at 549 nm and gradually red-shifted to 644 nm with the water fraction in 1,4-dioxane/H
2O mixture increased from 0% to 15% and a Stokes shift of over 180 nm was obtained (
Fig. 1B and Table S1), which may be suitable for eliminating potential interference from bioluminescence. Compared to that in 1,4-dioxane, the peak intensity (at 549 nm) of PPTH was increased by four times at
fw = 15%. Notably, the fluorescence of probe PPTH has been red-shifted from yellow-green light area to the red light area when the water fraction increased from 0% to 15% (
Fig. 1C). In addition, at different polarities (in the mixed solvent of 1,4-dioxane and water), we performed a linear fit between the fluorescence intensity values of the probe at 650 nm and the solution polarizability (Δ
f). With increasing water content, the maximum emission wavelength of PPTH exhibited an excellent linear relationship with the polarizability of the solvent (∆
f) in the area of solvent polarizability from 0.17 to 0.25 (
Fig. 1D) (
R2 = 0.9985). These phenomena indicate a significant solvatochromic property of PPTH with increasing solvent polarity.