Aggregation‐Induced Emission: A Rising Star in Chemistry and Materials Science

Abstract

Aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) refers to a photophysical effect that the luminescence of aggregates is stronger than that of the dispersed state. Since the concept of AIE was coined by Professor Ben Zhong Tang and co‐workers in 2001, AIE has evolved from a simple luminescent phenomenon to a multidisciplinary research field with a widespread influence. It has changed people's way of thinking about chromophore aggregation and greatly promoted the development of advanced luminescent materials. During the 20‐year development, diverse AIE luminogens (AIEgens) with attractive functionalities have been developed and remarkable achievements have been made in the mechanistic study and high‐tech applications of AIEgens. In this review, we provide an overview of the historical development and representative achievements of AIE research. Perspectives on the application of AIE in aggregate science are also briefly discussed to guide the future development in this field.

Aggregation‐enhanced theranostics: AIE sparkles in biomedical field

“…After 20 years of flourishing development, AIE research has shed new light on the fundamental understanding of chemistry and material science. [ 4,5 ] Up to now, AIE‐related research includes but not limited to the aggregation‐induced fluorescence features, for instance, crystallization‐induced emission (CIE), room temperature phosphorescence (RTP), clusterization‐triggered emission (CTE), and many other extensive research area based on aggregate have been successfully explored and most of them have gained widespread research interests [6] . Benefiting from their favorable superiorities, AIE luminogens (AIEgens) have been witnessed to be pervasively penetrating into various fields, such as chemo‐/biosensing, optoelectronic devices, information encryption, biomedical applications, and other important areas (Figure 1).…”

Pillar[5]arene‐Modified Gold Nanorods as Nanocarriers for Multi‐Modal Imaging‐Guided Synergistic Photodynamic‐Photothermal Therapy

“…[31][32][33] AIE photosensitizers possess the overwhelming superiority for PDT because the effective restriction of intramolecular motion (RIM) always results in the promotion of not only the ROS generation but also the fluorescence emission, facilitating their real-time monitoring of therapeutic process. [34][35][36] The elaborated design and tailoring of AIE luminogens (AIEgens) can endow them with the abilities to serve as photosensitizers for PDT. [37][38][39] Therefore, nanomaterials based on AIEgens can be prepared not only for accurate tumor-imaging but also for the therapeutic goals.…”

Zinc (II) and AIEgens: The “Clip Approach” for a Novel Fluorophore Family. A Review

“…Specifically, to predict AIEgens behaviour, other energetic parameters are involved and must be considered. The Duschinsky rotation energy [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ] (due to the difference between the ground state and excited-state potential energy surfaces, calculated by the harmonic oscillator model); the reorganisation energy [ 39 ] (required to relax the structure and environment upon electron transfer); the formation of J-aggregates (causing a bathochromic shift in the absorption due to π–π stacking of the aromatic moieties) [ 22 ]. Finally, the restricted access to a conical intersection (RACI) model to analyse the global potential energy surface topology was introduced in 2013 by Blancafort and coworkers [ 38 ].…”