An N, N′-diphenyl urea was designed as a model system for aggregation phenomenon in poly (phenyleneethynylenes)(PPEs). The unmethylated N, N′-diphenyl urea adopts an open, unfolded conformation in which the two diphenyl acetylene fluorophores are far enough away, mimicking the unaggregated state. Dimethylation forces the aromatic surfaces together into π–π contact, mimicking the aggregated state of PPEs. Analogous to bulk ...