Recent Progress in Aggregation-Induced Emission-Active Organic Small Molecule Inorganic Nanocomposites

Abstract

Fluorescent organic-inorganic nanocomposites have attracted more and more attention in the fields of chemical and biological sensing, biological imaging, energy materials, etc., due to their simple preparation, good biocompatibility and excellent imaging performance. Fluorescence quenching often occurs when traditional fluorescent organic small molecules are combined with inorganic materials, however, organic molecules with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties, which show high luminescence quantum yields in the aggregated state, provide opportunities for fluorescent organic-inorganic nanocomposites. Because of the unique advantages of the AIE fluorophore-functionalized inorganic nanomaterials, a great deal of research has been carried out on the design, synthesis and applications of such composite materials. The recent progress in the organic-inorganic composites of AIE-active organic small molecules and various types of inorganic nanomaterials (metal nanoparticles, perovskites, layered materials, oxides and sulfides, etc.) is summarized. In particular, the typical applications of these nanocomposites in chemical sensing, biosensing, bioimaging, drug transport, catalysis, photothermal therapy and energy materials are summarized. The prospects of these AIE-active organic-inorganic nanocomposites are also discussed.

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“…[1,2] As the representative subarea of aggregate science, research about aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is a breeding ground for thousands of new materials with outstanding optical performance, unique physicochemical behavior, and potential for applications as bio-imaging agents, photovoltaic devices, light-emitting diodes, sensors, and actuators. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] The concept of AIE extends from the traditional synthetic organic small molecules to a wide range of systems, including polymers, [10,11] natural products, [12] biomacromolecules, [13] metal-organic coordination compounds, [14,15] metal-organic frameworks, [16,17] covalent-organic frameworks, [18] and even inorganic compounds, [19][20][21] displaying a rich diversity, complexity, and unlimited possibilities. However, in contrast to the rapid progress in the laboratory, the research methods were stuck in the classical stage of experimental chemistry, highly relying on rules of thumb, experiences in case studies, and trials and error.…”