Water‐Soluble Aggregation‐Induced Emission Luminogens with Near‐Infrared Emission for Advanced Phototheranostics
Hanchen Shen,
Changhuo Xu,
Ruquan Ye,
Tzu-Ming Liu,
Jianyu Zhang,
Ryan T. K. Kwok,
Jacky W. Y. Lam,
Zhihong Guo,
Jianwei Sun,
Ben Zhong Tang
Affiliations
Hanchen Shen
Department of Chemistry Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction Division of Life Science State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong 999077 China
Changhuo Xu
MOE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology Faculty of Health Sciences University of Macau Macao 999078 China
Ruquan Ye
Department of Chemistry State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution City University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 999077 China
Tzu-Ming Liu
MOE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology Faculty of Health Sciences University of Macau Macao 999078 China
Jianyu Zhang
Department of Chemistry Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction Division of Life Science State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong 999077 China
Ryan T. K. Kwok
Department of Chemistry Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction Division of Life Science State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong 999077 China
Jacky W. Y. Lam
Department of Chemistry Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction Division of Life Science State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong 999077 China
Zhihong Guo
Department of Chemistry Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction Division of Life Science State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong 999077 China
Jianwei Sun
Department of Chemistry Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction Division of Life Science State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong 999077 China
Ben Zhong Tang
Department of Chemistry Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction Division of Life Science State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong 999077 China
The development of water‐soluble aggregation‐induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) emitting in the near‐infrared (NIR) window holds promise for efficient biomedical applications. Nevertheless, synthesizing water‐soluble counterparts of NIR AIEgens presents difficulties due to their intrinsic hydrophobic properties. To address this issue, researchers have developed various molecular design strategies to improve the water solubility of NIR AIEgens. The integration of hydrophilic groups and targeting moieties is a crucial aspect of achieving precise phototheranostics. Here, diverse approaches to attain water‐soluble NIR AIEgens for biomedical applications are presented, and three commonly used strategies that involve decorating NIR AIEgens with positively or negatively charged groups, hydrophilic chains, and bioactive moieties are elaborated. These rational design strategies are believed to provide solutions for enhancing the water solubility and biological performance of NIR AIEgens in a single action. The remaining challenges and opportunities in this field are also discussed. The aim is to provide new insights into the design of water‐soluble NIR AIEgens and inspire more researchers to make significant contributions to this promising research area.
