Solid-state fluorescence of two zinc coordination polymers from bulky dicyano-phenylenevinylene and bis-azobenzene cores

[Display omitted] •Two new coordination polymers (CPs) derived from emissive molecules were synthetized.•Polymers are red/yellow emitters as solid with the same PLQY values of the ligands.•Thin films obtained by in situ self-assembly reaction are homogeneous and amorphous.•The amorphous nature of thin film is confirmed by SEM analysis.•The electronic bandgap was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry. Photochemical performances were investigated on two new coordination polymers (CPs) derived from small emissive molecules. A dicyano-phenylenevinylene and an azobenzene skeleton with two salen sites and bulky substituents were employed as building blocks. The derived CPs have been fully characterized, particularly for their PL performance. The polymers are respectively red and yellow emitters in the solid-state, retaining the PLQY values of the fluorogenic ligands. By in situ self-assembly reaction, homogeneous amorphous thin films were obtained, as confirmed by SEM analysis. Cyclic voltammetry and DFT calculations were employed to evaluate the electronic bandgap and to predict energy levels of the frontier orbitals.