Manipulation of the Aggregation and Deaggregation of Tetraphenylethylene and Silole Fluorophores by Amphiphiles: Emission Modulation and Sensing Applications

Abstract

In this Feature Article, we have summarized the recent advances in the fluorescence modulation of tetraphenylethylene and silole fluorophores by manipulating the respective aggregation/deaggregation with amphiphiles. These include (i) the assembly of neutral tetraphenylethylene analogues with the aid of an ionic amphiphile, (ii) the aggregation of ionic tetraphenylethylene and silole induced by amphiphiles, and (iii) bio/chemosensors based on the aggregation/deaggregation of AIE fluorophores tuned by ionic amphiphiles.

Dual-targeted peptide-conjugated multifunctional fluorescent probe with AIEgen for efficient nucleus-specific imaging and long-term tracing of cancer cells

“…The last part is a crystallizable fragment (Fc), PyTPE, which is a fluorescent tracker and beneficial to the formation of a self-assembly structure. 32 The fluorescence turn-on is based on the specific targeting binding of targeted peptides and the increased concentrations of PyTPE in more crowded space to increase its aggregation degree.…”

Bio‐/Chemosensors and Imaging with Aggregation‐Induced Emission Luminogens

“…Apart from DNA, proteins, and peptides, amphiphilic molecules can also induce the aggregation of AIE molecules with charged groups 16,35. We investigated the fluorescence spectral variation of − O 3 S‐TPE‐ in the presence of myristoylcholine (Scheme ) 33.…”

“…Such unique properties of AIE molecules provide a new platform to construct new bio‐/chemosensors by manipulating their aggregation and deaggregation. We and others have disclosed a series of bio‐/chemosensors with AIE luminogens (AIEgens) by combining them with either enzyme‐catalyzed or chemical reactions,14–16 which can induce either the aggregation or deaggregation of AIE molecules, thus resulting in fluorescence variation. The enzyme‐catalyzed or chemical reactions endow these bio‐/chemosensors with good selectivity.…”

Organic Mitoprobes based on Fluorogens with Aggregation‐Induced Emission

“…All these disadvantages greatly limited their applications for bioimaging. So far, AIEgens have been widely applied for chemical and biological sensing [40,41] and imaging [35] including mitochondria tracking and mitochondria-related bioprocess monitoring. [31][32][33][34][35] Their fluorescence is negligible in molecularly dissolved state, but booms dramatically in aggregate state or at high concentrations.…”