Imidazole-based fluorophores: Synthesis and applications

Imidazole is an essential heterocyclic building block for biological, optical, and electrical fields. It has a unique bipolar configuration of two donor and acceptor N atoms apart via C2, which enhances the functionality of their chromogenic and fluorogenic derivatives. The attractive rigidity of imidazole compounds reduces the reorganization energy along the charge transfer process. Specifically, the simple synthesis, low cost, easy molecular modification, high triplet energy, deep-blue electroluminescent, good hole mobility, electron-donor capacity, and hydrogen-bonding ability are the characteristic features of imidazole-based fluorophores useful for promising optical applications such as sensing and organic light emitting diodes. Furthermore, aggregation-induced emission and/or mechanofluorochromism are emerging exciting characteristics of imidazole derivatives with impressive electroluminescence performance and versatile bio-imaging applications. The coordination chemistry of imidazole owes to its heterocyclic nucleus with unique characteristics for antifouling coatings. The introduction of imidazole as a ligand into the skeleton of polymeric antifouling agents enhanced their antifouling performance via transition metal coordination of pendant azole ligands. This review explores the design and synthesis of imidazole-based fluorophores with or without aggregation-induced emission and mechanofluorochromism features and their application in organic light emitting diodes or biosensors or chemosensors with a simple look into its utility for constructing fluorophoric antifouling polymeric agents.