Ju Mei,†,‡,∥ Nelson L. C. Leung,†,‡,∥ Ryan T. K. Kwok,†,‡ Jacky W. Y. Lam,†,‡ and Ben Zhong Tang*,†,‡,§ †HKUST-Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518057, China ‡Department of Chemistry, HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study, Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, Division of Biomedical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China Guangdong Innovative Research Team, SCUT-HKUST Joint Research Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China

Aggregation-Induced Emission: Together We Shine, United We Soar!

"United we stand, divided we fall."--Aesop. Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) refers to a photophysical phenomenon shown by a group of luminogenic materials that are non-emissive when they are dissolved in good solvents as molecules but become highly luminescent when they are clustered in poor solvents or solid state as aggregates. In this Review we summarize the recent progresses made in the area of AIE research. We conduct mechanistic analyses of the AIE processes, unify the restriction of intramolecular motions (RIM) as the main cause for the AIE effects, and derive RIM-based molecular engineering strategies for the design of new AIE luminogens (AIEgens). Typical examples of the newly developed AIEgens and their high-tech applications as optoelectronic materials, chemical sensors and biomedical probes are presented and discussed.

Aggregation-Induced Emission: The Whole Is More Brilliant than the Parts

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/cr400546e

Fluorescent Sensors for Measuring Metal Ions in Living Systems

Functional π-Gelators and Their Applications

Driven by the high demand for sensitive and specific tools for optical sensing and imaging, bioprobes with various working mechanisms and advanced functionalities are flourishing at an incredible speed. Conventional fluorescent probes suffer from the notorious effect of aggregation-caused quenching that imposes limitation on their labelling efficiency or concentration to achieve desired sensitivity. The recently emerged fluorogens with an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) feature offer a timely remedy to tackle the challenge. Utilizing the unique properties of AIE fluorogens (AIEgens), specific light-up probes have been constructed through functionalization with recognition elements, showing advantages such as low background interference, a high signal to noise ratio and superior photostability with activatable therapeutic effects. In this tutorial review, we summarize the recent progress in the development of specific AIEgen-based light-up bioprobes. Through illustration of their operation mechanisms and application examples, we hope to provide guidelines for the design of more advanced AIE sensing and imaging platforms with high selectivity, great sensitivity and wide adaptability to a broad range of biomedical applications.

/pdf/specific-light-up-bioprobes-based-on-aiegen-conjugates-2akzp73c59.pdf

Specific light-up bioprobes based on AIEgen conjugates

A novel and efficient halogen-free composite flame retardant (CFR) consisting of a brucite core and a fine zinc borate [Zn6O(OH)(BO3)3] hierarchical nanostructure shell was designed and synthesized via a facile nanoengineering route. It had been demonstrated that this unique hybrid structure possessed a high BET specific surface area (65 m2/g) and could significantly enhance the interfacial interaction when mixing with ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). This improved the transfer of stress between CFR particles and EVA matrix and increased the viscosity of EVA/EVA blends, which was beneficial for droplet inhibition and char forming. The mechanical properties and flammability behaviors of the EVA/CFR blends had been compared with the EVA/physical mixture (PM, with the given proportion of brucite and Zn6O(OH)(BO3)3). The mechanical properties of EVA/CFR blends, especially the tensile strength (TS), presented a remarkable increase reaching at least a 20% increment. Meanwhile, with the same 45 wt % of fillers, the...

Controllable Fabrication of Zinc Borate Hierarchical Nanostructure on Brucite Surface for Enhanced Mechanical Properties and Flame Retardant Behaviors

Efficient ratiometric fluorescent Fe3+ probes were designed and synthesized by linking a conjugated naphthalene chromophore to a rhodamine platform and a lipophilic triphenylphosphonium (TPP) cation. The probes could sensitively and selectively detect mitochondrial Fe3+ in living cells.

FRET-based ratiometric fluorescent probes for selective Fe3+ sensing and their applications in mitochondria

Nanoengineering core/shell structured brucite@polyphosphate@amine hybrid system for enhanced flame retardant properties

Aggregation-induced emission of a novel conjugated phosphonium salt and its application in mitochondrial imaging.

A new low molecular-weight gelator G1 having hydrozone and azobenzene groups was designed and synthesized. The corresponding organogel from G1 exhibited multistimuli responsive capability by tuning the hydrogen-bonding and amphiphilic properties.

Wendan Chen

Papers

Controllable Fabrication of Zinc Borate Hierarchical Nanostructure on Brucite Surface for Enhanced Mechanical Properties and Flame Retardant Behaviors

FRET-based ratiometric fluorescent probes for selective Fe3+ sensing and their applications in mitochondria

Nanoengineering core/shell structured brucite@polyphosphate@amine hybrid system for enhanced flame retardant properties

Aggregation-induced emission of a novel conjugated phosphonium salt and its application in mitochondrial imaging.

Rational design of multistimuli responsive organogels by alternation of hydrogen-bonding and amphiphilic properties