Aggregation-induced Emission Behavior Research Articles

Positively Charged Biodegradable Polymersomes with Structure Inherent Fluorescence as Artificial Organelles.

Polymersomes, nanosized polymeric vesicles, have attracted significant interest in the areas of artificial cells and nanomedicine. Given their size, their visualization via confocal microscopy techniques is often achieved through the physical incorporation of fluorescent dyes, which however present challenges due to potential leaching. A promising alternative is the incorporation of molecules with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior that are capable of fluorescing exclusively in their assembled state. Here, we report on the use of AIE polymersomes as artificial organelles, which are capable of undertaking enzymatic reactions in vitro. The ability of our polymersome-based artificial organelles to provide additional functionality to living cells was evaluated by encapsulating catalytic enzymes such as a combination of glucose oxidase/horseradish peroxidase (GOx/HRP) or β-galactosidase (β-gal). Via the additional incorporation of a pyridinium functionality, not only the cellular uptake is improved at low concentrations but also our platform's potential to specifically target mitochondria expands.

Impact of the phenyl on fluorescence properties of cyanostilbene modified tetraphenylethene compounds

Two novel cyanostilbene-modified tetraphenylethene derivatives were constructed by Williamson etherification, Suzuki coupling and Knoevenagel condensation reactions. Both compounds exhibited aggregation-induced emission and strong solid-state fluorescence behaviors with extremely high fluorescence quantum yield due to the distorted molecular conformation. Strangely, the compound without additional phenyl spacer did not show mechanochromic behavior, whereas, the compound with an additional phenyl spacer exhibited distinct mechanochromic behavior with the red-shifted emission wavelength from 480 nm to 503 nm upon grinding. The distinct differences in mechanochromic behaviors between the reported compounds could be attributed to that the additional phenyl spacer had benefits for the molecular planarization with external mechanical force. This investigation provided a method to construct mechanochromic material with aggregation-induced emission behavior and high solid-state fluorescence quantum yield and promoted the utilization in rewritable luminescent paper.

Halogen-modulated mechanical force-induced luminescence enhancement and chromism of AIE-active tetraphenylethylene-based chalcone derivatives

In this paper, four new tetraphenylethylene-based chalcone derivatives (E)-1-phenyl-3-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (PLPE), (E)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (PLPE-F),(E)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (PLPE-Cl), (E)-1-(4-bromophenyl)-3-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (PLPE-Br) with different halogen substitutions were reported, and the effects of halogens on their photophysical properties, aggregation-induced emission behaviors and mechano-responsive luminescent properties were systematically investigated. Interestingly, aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) behaviors were observed for PLPE, PLPE-F, PLPE-Cl, and PLPE-Br. Moreover, upon grinding, all of the four compounds displayed mechanical force-induced luminescence enhancement and red-shifted behaviors, which was found to be reversible in the case of fuming with dichloromethane (DCM) vapors or heat treatment. In particular, upon grinding, PLPE-F showed the highest contrast fluorescence response behaviors (red-shifted 49 nm and solid fluorescence quantum yield increased 20-fold). Furthermore, the results of powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) measurements indicated that reversible phase transitions between the ordered crystalline state and the disordered amorphous form was crucial to their interesting mechanical force-induced luminescence enhancement and chromism. And the obvious red shifts of fluorescence emission are ascribed to the increased molecular conjugations via the planarization of molecular conformations. Moreover, halogen-substituted PLPE-F, PLPE-Cl, PLPE-Br have more twisted conformations than PLPE, which are responsible for their higher contrast mechanical force-induced luminescence chromism. Hence, the present study provides a new strategy to construct new advanced high-contrast mechanical force-induced luminescence enhancement and chromism luminescent materials with the introduction of halogen atoms.

3-Aroylbenzocoumarin-Based Luminogens: Bright Solid-State Emission, AIE Properties and Cell Imaging Application.

A series of 3-aroylbenzocoumarin-based luminogens have been synthesized for investigating their aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and solid-state fluorescence. The single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of one of them showed that the molecules are arranged in the form of π-dimers which may lead to excimer emission. The large Stokes shifts and the broad-band emission of these 3-aroylbenzocoumarins in solid/aggregation state demonstrated the probable formation of excimers. The shapes of benzocoumarin units have a great effect on the AIE behaviors. The linear benzocoumarin derivatives show larger Stokes shifts, while the bent-benzocoumarin derivatives exhibit better AIE performances. All of them show aggregation-enhanced excimer emission which is supported by the large Stokes shifts. The electronic effect of 3-aroyl groups also has a certain effect on their fluorescence properties. The polymorphism phenomenon was observed for one of the benzoyl-containing derivatives. Additionally, two of the derivatives containing methoxy group were successfully used for cell imaging.

C3-Symmetric Luminescent Diketone with Amido-Linkage as a Polymorphic Fluorescence Emitter.

The study introduces a novel C3-symmetric β-diketone compound, BTA-D3, and its monomeric counterpart, D, with a focus on their synthetic procedure, photophysical properties and aggregation behavior. Both compounds exhibit characteristic absorption and weak fluorescence in solution, with BTA-D3 displaying higher absorption coefficients due to its larger number of diketone units. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations suggest increased co-planarity of diketone groups in BTA-D3. A significant finding is the Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) property of BTA-D3, as its fluorescence intensity increases dramatically when exposed to specific solvent ratios. The AIE behavior is attributed to intermolecular excitonic interaction between BTA-D3 molecules in self-organized aggregates. We also studied fluorescence anisotropy of BTA-D3 and D. Despite its larger size, BTA-D3 showed reduced anisotropy values because of efficient intramolecular energy migration among three diketone units. Furthermore, BTA-D3 demonstrates unique polymorphism, yielding different emission colors and structures depending on the solvent used. A unique approach is presented for promoting the growth of self-organized aggregate structures via solvent evaporation, leading to distinct fluorescence properties. This research contributes to the understanding of C3-symmetric structural molecules and provides insights into strategies for controlling molecular alignment to achieve diverse fluorescence coloration in molecular materials.

Zirconium-containing nanoscale coordination polymers for positron emission tomography and fluorescence-guided cargo delivery to triple-negative breast tumors

Nanoscale coordination polymer (NCP) is a class of hybrid materials formed by self-assembly of metal ions and organic ligands through coordination. The applications of NCP in biomedicine are quite extensive due to the diversity choice of metal ions and organic ligands. Here we designed Zr-P1 NCP based on Zr4+ selected as metal ion nodes and tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl) ethylene as bridging ligands. Zr-P1 NCP was modified with functionalized pyrene derived polyethylene glycol (Py-PAA-PEG-Mal) on the surface and further conjugated with cRGD for active targeting of integrin αvβ3 overexpressed in triple-negative breast cancer. Doxorubicin was loaded on Zr-P1 NCP with encapsulation efficiency up to 22 % for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer. 89Zr-P1 NCP can be used for in vivo tumor imaging due to the fluorescence properties resulting from the enhanced aggregation-induced Emission (AIE) behavior of P1 ligands and its positron emission tomography (PET) capability. Cellular evaluation indicated that the functionalized Zr-P1@PEG-RGD presented a good function for tumor cell targeting imaging and doxorubicin could be targeted to triple negative breast cancer when it was loaded onto Zr-P1@PEG-RGD, which corroborated with the in vivo results. In summary, 89Zr-P1@PEG-RGD can serve as a biocompatible nanoplatform for fluorescence and PET image-guided cargo delivery. Statement of SignificanceNanoscale coordination polymer (NCP) is a class of hybrid materials formed by self-assembly of metal ions and organic ligands through coordination. The diversity of available metals and ligand structures upon NCP synthesis plays an advantage in establishing multimodal imaging platforms. Here we designed 89Zr-P1@PEG-RGD NCP based on Zr4+ selected as metal ion nodes and tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl) ethylene as bridging ligands. 89Zr-P1@PEG-RGD nanomaterials have positron emission tomography (PET) capability due to the incorporation of zirconium-89, which can be used for in vivo tumor imaging with high sensitivity. The chemotherapeutic drug DOX was loaded on Zr-P1 NCP for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer, and dual modality imaging can provide visual guidance for drug delivery.

Through-Space Charge-Transfer-Based Aggregation-Induced Emission and Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence in Fused 2H-Chromene Coumarin Congener Generating ROS for Antiviral (SARS-CoV-2) Approach.

Harvesting triplets in metal-free organic frameworks at ambient conditions and finding appropriate applications are a formidable challenge. Herein, we report a donor-acceptor-type system composed of carbazole and fused 2H-chromene coumarin derivative, exhibiting triplet harvesting thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior in solid and aggregated states, respectively. The presence of an sp3 linker and the introduction of a selected cyano/ester group in the acceptor result in twisted D-A architectures, further assisting in the suppression of nonradiative deactivation via through-space charge transfer and H-bonding interactions, fulfilling the stringent requirements for the simultaneous process of TADF and AIE, successively. Experimental and theoretical results revealed that the participation of the singlet/triplet charge transfer (1CT/3CT) and the higher lying hybrid triplet locally excited charge-transfer state (3LE + 3CT) leads to an efficient TADF. Both of the synthesized AIE-TADF congeners actively participated in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in nanoaggregate forms and were further explored computationally for antiviral prospects as inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

Portable smartphone platform utilizing AIE-featured carbon dots for multivariate visual detection for Cu2+, Hg2+ and BSA in real samples

Heavy metals cause serious toxic threats to both environment and human health. The multivariate, instrument-free, portable, and rapid detection strategy is crucial for determination of heavy metals. Herein, aggregation-induced emission (AIE) featured carbon dots (SN-CDs) were fabricated hydrothermally by optimizing co-doping precursors. With bright yellow emission at 560 nm, the SN-CDs were utilized for multivariate sensing Cu2+, Hg2+ and bovine serum albumin (BSA) based on AIE behavior and static quenching effect, with detection limits of 0.46 μmol·L−1, 25.8 nmol·L−1 and 1.52 μmol·L−1. A portable smartphone platform was constructed to enable portable, prompt, and sensitive analysis for Cu2+, Hg2+, and BSA via different strategies in real water and food samples with satisfied recovery. Moreover, a logic gate circuit was designed to provide the possibilities for utilization of intelligent facility. The proposed AIE SN-CDs possessing great contribution in preferable sensing performance, present promising prospects in real-time monitoring of environment and food safety.

Excimer emission from polycyclic arenes bearing triphenylmethyl group: Solid-state fluorescence, mechanofluorochromism, aggregation-induced emission and cell imaging application

The excimer emission based on discrete π-stacked dimers of polycyclic π-systems has generated significant interest in the structure-luminescence relationship of excimers owing to their ultra-large Stokes shift. Herein, a series of excimer emissive luminogens were obtained by conjugating different polycyclic aromatic aldehydes (anthraldehyde, pyrenealdehyde and perylenealdehyde) with triphenylmethylamine. In crystalline states, all the molecules were arranged in the form of π-stacked arene dimers which were spatially isolated from each other by the bulky triphenylmethyl groups, and thus emitted bright excimer emission. The anthracene and pyrene derivatives showed fluorescence enhancement responses to grinding and the enhanced fluorescence could recover to the original state upon heating. The aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties of them were dependent on the shapes and sizes of the polycyclic aromatic groups. The pyrene derivative showed the most excellent excimer-based AIE behavior among them. All of them were more apt to exhibit the excimer emission when formed nanoparticles with pluronic F-127 than that without pluronic F-127. Furthermore, PETP was utilized for bioimaging of living Hela cells and the high-resolution image was observed.

Synthesis of Helical Indolophenanthridines Showing Aggregation-Induced Emission.

Helical indolo[2,3-k]- and [3,2-a]phenanthridines were synthesized from amines by amide formation and Morgan-Walls cyclization. The synthetic routes offer the advantage of late-stage derivatization and do not require protecting groups, which makes the compounds directly suitable for further functionalization. The compounds exhibit remarkable acid-dependent bathochromic shifts of the luminescence, solvatochromism, and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior, which make them especially interesting candidates for studies toward optoelectronic applications.

Tetraphenylethylene fused pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole derivatives with reversible mechanofluorochromic and aggregation-induced emission enhancement characteristics

Modification on typical of molecular unit with aggregation-induced emission (AIE)/aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) can play a important role in obtaining solid-state fluorescence materials and mechanofluorochromic (MFC) materials. We utilize the multicomponent reaction of TPE-containing aldehyde, arylamine and butane-2,3-dione in the presence of iron(III) perchlorate to design and synthesize two novel MFC materials by combination of the tetraphenylethylene (TPE) and pyrrolo [3,2-b]pyrrole core units. Investigation of CHW-1 and CHW-2 aggregation-induced emission behaviors indicated that these materials all exhibited AIEE properties. Subsequent mechanochromic luminescence tests exhibited reversible mechanochromism natures that involve fluorescent color change from green to yellow (Grinding-induced spectral shift (△λ): 35 nm and 38 nm, respectively). Then the datas (including SEM, PXRD and DSC) revealed that this mechanofluorochromism was ascribed to the transformation of crystal state to the amorphous form. Moreover, CHW-1 and CHW-2 could be applied for optical recording devices and security printing.

Cationic cyclometalated platinum (II) complexes of metformin with self-assembly and AIE behavior as nuclear and mitochondrial targeted anticancer theragnostic agents

Self-assembly and AIE (Aggregation-induced emission) of cyclometalated platinum (II) complexes have attracted lots of attention. The high hydrophilia and low permeability of metformin (Met) has greatly hindered its further clinical application, herein, our work rationally designed and synthesized a pair of theragnostic cyclometalated platinum (II) - metformin complexes. Pt1 and Pt2 can improve bioactivity of Met significantly, and AIE deep-red emission can be mediated by tuning chemical structure of auxiliary ligand in compounds. Moreover, self-assembly of two Pt (II) complexes was revealed, as well as mitochondria and nuclear targeting ability of Pt2 were newly obtained during an AIE process. Meanwhile, Pt2 exhibits 186- and 53-fold enhanced antiproliferative activity compared with Met and Met-free complex analogue, their anticancer mechanisms were also investigated. Herein, our work provides a novel strategy for designing multi-functional platinum-based anticancer theragnostic agents.

Grind, shine and detect: mechanochemical synthesis of AIE-active polyaromatic amide and its application as molecular receptor of monovalent anions or nucleotides.

A mechanochemical synthesis of novel polyaromatic amide consisting of 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene and 1,1',2,2'-tetraphenylethylene skeletons has been established. The designed mechanochemical approach using readily available and low-cost equipment allowed a twofold increase in reaction yield, a 350-fold reduction in reaction time and a significant reduction in the use of harmful reactants in comparison to the solution synthesis method. The parameters of Green Chemistry were used to highlight the advantages of the developed synthesis method over the solution-based approach. The title compound was found to exhibit attractive optical properties related to the Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behaviour. Taking the advantage of AIE-active properties of the synthesized polyaromatic amide, its application as effective and versatile molecular receptor towards detection of monovalent anions, as well as bio-relevant anions - nucleotides, has been demonstrated. The values of the binding constants were at the satisfactory level of 104, the detection limit values were low and ranged from 0.2 μM to 19.9 μM.

Schiff base fluorescent sensor with aggregation induced emission characteristics for the sensitive and specific Fe3+ detection

An aggregation induced emission based compound ((E)-4-((2-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzylidene)amino)benzoic acid) was synthesized through facile Schiff base condensation and characterized by various spectral techniques. The as-prepared compound represented a typical aggregation induced emission behavior in aqueous solution and exploited as a turn-off fluorescent sensor for Fe3+ detection in THF-H2O system (3:7, v/v) with high sensitivity and selectivity. The mechanism of the fluorescence quenching was intensively studied, which was attributed to both dynamic quenching and inner filter effect. The fluorescence probe displayed a highly broad dynamic response range (0.5–500 μM) for selective detection of Fe3+ with a limit of detection of 0.079 μM. The proposed method was successfully employed for detection and quantification of Fe3+ in human urine samples and proved to have potential for practical applications in biological field.

Regulation of aggregation-induced emission and reversible remarkable mechanofluorochromism by substitution position of the carbazole unit in D-A type carbazole-functionalized dicyanoethylene π-systems

In this study, two twisted D-A type dibenzothiophene- and carbazole-functionalized dicyanoethylene derivatives were formulated and synthesized. They were labeled as 2-substituted carbazole (BT-CE-C2) and 3-substituted carbazole (BT-CE-C3), respectively. Furthermore, an investigation into the correlation between the molecular structure of these derivates and their photophysical properties was conducted. The characteristic D-A structures and the highly distorted spatial conformations of the two fluorophores led to the emergence of a unique intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effect and remarkable aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior. Notably, the position of substitution of the carbazole unit regulated the reversible high-contrast mechanofluorochromic (MFC) properties demonstrated by BT-CE-C2 and BT-CE-C3. The as-prepared solid powders of BT-CE-C2 and BT-CE-C3 produce blue-green and orange-yellow emissions at 508 and 567 nm, respectively. However, their ground powders emitted orange (at 589 nm) and orange-red (at 619 nm) lights. Notably, BT-CE-C2 exhibited enhanced fluorescence upon external stimulation, increasing its solid-state luminescence efficiency from 0.035 to 0.189. In contrast, the BT-CE-C3 exhibited a decrease in fluorescence, causing its solid-state luminescence efficiency to change from 0.426 to 0.348. The fluorescence lifetimes, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and spectral analysis collectively identified the phase transition between the crystalline and amorphous states as the underlying cause of the MFC behavior observed in BT-CE-C2 and BT-CE-C3. Additionally, the red shift in photoluminescence (PL) spectra under external stimulus can be attributed to planarized-induced charge transfer (PICT), exciton coupling, increased π-π interactions, and enhanced orbital overlap between adjacent molecules. This combination of factors led to the observed MFC properties of these compounds.

Enhancing or Quenching of a Mitochondria-Targeted AIEgens-Floxuridine Sensor by the Regulation of pH-Dependent Self-assembly, Efficient Recognition of Hg2+, and Stimulated Response of GSH.

Biocompatible fluorescent probes have emerged as essential tools in life sciences for visualizing subcellular structures and detecting specific analytes. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a novel fluorescent probe (TPE-FdU), incorporated with hydrophilic 2'-fluoro-substituted deoxyuridine and hydrophobic ethynyl tetraphenylethene moieties, which possessed typical aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior. In comparison to the TPE-FdU (pKa 7.68) treated in neutral conditions, it performed well at pH 4, exhibiting an enhanced 450 nm emission signal of approximately four times stronger. As the pH value was increased to 10, the fluorescence intensity was completely quenched. The TEM images of TPE-FdU in an acidic environment (nanospherical morphology, AIE enhance, pH = 4) and in a basic environment (microrods, fluorescence quenching, pH = 9) revealed that it was a pH-dependent self-assembled probe, which was also illustrated by the interpretation of the NMR spectrum. Furthermore, the TPE-FdU probe exhibited a specific response to trace Hg2+ ions. Interestingly, the quenched fluorescence of the TPE-FdU probe caused by Hg2+ can be recovered by the addition of GSH due to the formation of the Hg-S bond being released away. MTT assay and CLSM images demonstrated that TPE-FdU was nontoxic and selectively visualized in the intracellular mitochondria. These results contributed to the development of advanced fluorescent probes with diverse applications in cell imaging, environment protection, and biomedical research.

Barbier Polymerization-Induced Emission towards Fully Substituted Polyethylene Analogues with Non-Traditional Intrinsic Luminescence.

The properties of polyethylene are highly dependent on the variety and quantity of substitutions. Generally, polyethylene can only be fully substituted with fluorine atoms, mainly e. g., polytetrafluoroethylene and nafion, because atomic radius of fluorine atom is small enough. The preparation of fully substituted polyethylene analogues (FSPEA) and their non-traditional intrinsic luminescence (NTIL) are attractive, especially for substitutions with relatively larger atomic radii than a fluorine atom. Here, Barbier polymerization-induced emission (PIE) is demonstrated as a universal method for the molecular design of NTIL type FSPEAs with intriguing aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behaviors. Through Barbier polymerization of diphenyldichloromethane and different peroxyesters in the presence of Mg in one pot, a series of FSPEAs, including polytriphenylethanol (PTPE), polydiphenylfurylethanol (PDPFE), polydiphenylthiophenylethanol (PDPTE) and polydiphenylnaphthylethanol (PDPNE) have been successfully prepared. Further potential applications for explosive detection, artificial light-harvesting system and white phosphor-converted light-emitting diode are investigated. Therefore, this work opens up a new approach for the molecular design of FSPEA with non-conjugated luminescence, which may cause inspirations to different research fields like polyolefin and luminescent materials.

Aggregation-induced phosphorescence emission-active heteroleptic Ir(III) complexes: Synthesis, photophysics, and latent fingerprint detection applications

Three heteroleptic Ir(III) complexes (Ir-TPA, Ir-CzPh and Ir-PhCz) with different electron-donating aryl groups on C^N ligands were synthesized. Their optical properties were systematically investigated by spectroscopic methods and theoretical calculations to elucidate the effects of introducing different electron-donating groups on their triplet excited state properties. All three complexes possess aggregation-induced phosphorescence emission (AIPE) behaviors. Critically, the relationship between the size of organic ligands and AIPE behaviors for these complexes has been characterized. Their significant AIPE properties predicted that they could be used as efficient latent fingerprint (LFP) developers. Rapid (within 10 s) incubation in Ir(III) complex solution produced high-resolution, naked-eye visible and mobile-photographable LFP images, which could provide fast, reproducible and identifiable analyses of level 3 details for LFPs accurately. In addition, complex Ir-PhCz shows the best imaging of the LFP due to its green light emission and high quantum yield (24.5 %) in solid state. This rapid and practical LFP visualization methodology based on AIPE developers could provide a reliable solution for LFPs detection and investigations in actual scenarios.

Mechanochromism and circularly polarized luminescence of chiral cyclometalated platinum(II) complexes with different configurations and aggregated forms

Using a new synthesis method, we have prepared two different coordination configurations of chiral cyclometalated N^C^N-coordinated and C^N-coordinated Pt(II) complexes by controlling the Cl− source. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction determines the tridentate and bidentate structures. All N^C^N-coordinated and C^N-coordinated Pt(II) complexes emit green-yellow light in CH2Cl2 solutions. Square-planar N^C^N-Coordinated complexes (−)-1 and (−)-2 show remarkable aggregation-induced emission behaviors in mixed CH2Cl2/n-hexane solutions with the emission quantum yield (Φem) intensified significantly. In addition, the luminescent color could change from green-yellow to red by varying the volumetric fraction of n-hexane. Complex (−)-2 grafted with long alkyl chains could form helical stacking aggregates, inducing enhanced ECD signals and measurable CPL activity. The yellow and orange solids of complex (−)-1 can be separated, and a high-contrast mechanochromic luminescence is found for the yellow form. Furthermore, the potential utility has been attempted in anti-counterfeiting applications based on the yellow solid of (−)-1. This study provides a new design strategy for the preparation of chiral cyclometalated Pt(II) complexes with specific configurations and aggregated forms that have various optical and electronic properties.

Aggregation-Induced Emission via the Restriction of the Intramolecular Vibration Mechanism of Pinacol Lanthanide Complexes.

Pinacol lanthanide complexes PyraLn (Ln = Dy and Tb) with the restriction of intramolecular vibration were obtained for the first time via an in situ solvothermal coordination-catalyzed tandem reaction using cheap and simple starting materials, thereby avoiding complex, time-consuming, and expensive conventional organic synthesis strategies. A high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESI-MS) analysis confirmed the stability of PyraLn in an organic solution. The formation process of PyraLn was monitored in detail using time-dependent HRESI-MS, which allowed for proposing a mechanism for the formation of pinacol complexes via in situ tandem reactions under one-pot coordination-catalyzed conditions. The PyraLn complexes constructed using a pinacol ligand with a butterfly configuration exhibited distinct aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior, with the αAIE value as high as 60.42 according to the AIE titration curve. In addition, the PyraLn complexes in the aggregated state exhibit a rapid photoresponse to various 3d metal ions with low detection limits. These findings provide fast, facile, and high-yield access to dynamic, smart lanthanide complex emissions with bright emission and facilitate the rational construction of molecular machines for artificial intelligence.