Role of solvent H-bonding and polarity on photophysical properties of a benzothiazole-based ratiometric amyloid fibril sensor.

Graphical abstract Highlights • Photophysical properties of a ratiometric amyloid probe have been investigated. • Role of solvent polarity and solute‐solvent H‐bonding on the amyloid sensing behavior of the sensor has been understood. • H-bonding with solvent leads to molecular twisting resulting large decrease in emission yield in polar protic solvents. Abstract Detailed photophysical properties of 2-[2′-Me,4′-(dimethylamino)-phenyl]benzothiazole (2Me-DABT), a potential ratiometric amyloid fibril sensor, have been investigated in different solvents and solvent mixtures using steady state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. Our studies show that emission properties of 2Me-DABT are significantly modulated by polarity of solvent media. Extent of solvatochromism (3585 cm−1) shown by 2Me-DABT is quite large and can be used to monitor micropolarity of different complex media. Further, Stokes' shift (>10,000 cm−1) shown by 2Me-DABT in all studied solvents is also much larger than most common molecular probes. It has also been shown that hydrogen bonding with solvent molecules results in large modulation in photophysical properties of 2Me-DABT. The H-bonding with water molecules induces a large change (39°) in the dihedral angle between benzothiazole and aniline moieties resulting large changes in photophysical properties of 2Me-DABT in polar protic solvents. Photophysical properties reported herein are used to explain observed amyloid sensing behaviour of 2Me-DABT. Detailed quantum chemical calculations are performed to support the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]