Amphiphilic Aggregation-induced Emission Research Articles

Expanding Our Horizons: AIE Materials in Bacterial Research.

Bacteria share a longstanding and complex relationship with humans, playing a role in protecting gut health and sustaining the ecosystem to cause infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance. Luminogenic materials that share aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics have emerged as a versatile toolbox for bacterial studies through fluorescence visualization. Numerous research efforts highlight the superiority of AIE materials in this field. Recent advances in AIE materials in bacterial studies are categorized into four areas: understanding bacterial interactions, antibacterial strategies, diverse applications, and synergistic applications with bacteria. Initial research focuses on visualizing the unseen bacteria and progresses into developing strategies involving electrostatic interactions, amphiphilic AIE luminogens (AIEgens), and various AIE materials to enhance bacterial affinity. Recent progress in antibacterial strategies includes using photodynamic and photothermal therapies, bacterial toxicity studies, and combined therapies. Diverse applications from environmental disinfection to disease treatment, utilizing AIE materials in antibacterial coatings, bacterial sensors, wound healing materials, etc., are also provided. Finally, synergistic applications combining AIE materials with bacteria to achieve enhanced outcomes are explored. This review summarizes the developmental trend of AIE materials in bacterial studies and is expected to provide future research directions in advancing bacterial methodologies.

A series of tetraphenylene-acetonitrile AIE compounds with D-A-D′ structure for drugs delivery systems of paclitaxel: Synthesis, structure-activity relationship and anti-tumors effect

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) materials are attracting great attention in biomedical fields such as sensors, bioimaging, and cancer treatment, et al. due to their strong fluorescence emission in the aggregated state. In this contribution, a series of tetraphenylene-acetonitrile AIE compounds with D-A-D′ structures were synthesized by Suzuki coupling reaction and Knoevenagel condensation, and their relationship of chemical structure and fluorescence properties was investigated in detail, among which TPPA compound was selected as the monomer owing to the longest emission wavelength at about 530 nm with low energy band gap ΔE 3.09 eV of neutral TPPA and 1.43 eV of protonated TPPA. Novel amphiphilic AIE PEG-TA copolymers were prepared by RAFT polymerization of TPPA and PEGMA with about 1.44×104 Mw and narrow PDI, and the molar ratio of TPPA in the PEG-TA1 and PEG-TA2 copolymers was about 23.4 % and 29.6 %. The as-prepared PEG-TA copolymers would self-assembled in aqueous solution to form core-shell structures with a diameter of 150–200 nm, and their emission wavelength could reversibly convert from 545 nm to 650 nm with excellent pH sensitivity. The CLSM images showed that the PEG-TA FONs and PTX drugs-loaded PTX-TA FONs could be endocytosed by cells and mainly enriched in the cytoplasm, and CCK-8 results showed that the PEG-TA FONs had excellent biocompatibility but PTX-TA FONs had high inhibition ratio for A549 cells, moreover, the flow cytometry also showed that PTX-TA FONs could result in the apoptosis of A549 cells with some extent anti-tumor effect.

Amphiphilic AIE Fluorescent Probe: A Dual-Functionality Strategy for Efficient Antibacterial Therapy Fluorescence Bioimaging against Staphylococcus aureus.

Drug-resistant bacteria present a grave threat to human health. Fluorescence imaging-guided photodynamic antibacterial therapy holds enormous potential as an innovative treatment in antibacterial therapy. However, the development of a fluorescent material with good water solubility, large Stokes shift, bacterial identification, and high photodynamic antibacterial efficiency remains challenging. In this study, we successfully synthesized an amphiphilic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorescent probe referred to as NPTPA-QM. This probe possesses the ability to perform live-bacteria fluorescence imaging while also exhibiting antibacterial activity, specifically against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). We demonstrate that NPTPA-QM can eliminate S. aureus at a very low concentration (2 μmol L-1). Moreover, it can effectively promote skin wound healing. Meanwhile, this NPTPA-QM exhibits an excellent imaging ability by simple mixing with S. aureus. In summary, this research presents a straightforward and highly effective method for creating "amphiphilic" AIE fluorescent probes with antibacterial properties. Additionally, it offers a rapid approach for imaging bacteria utilizing red emission.

Endowing an amphiphilic aggregation-induced emission molecule with turn-on fluorescence in both latent fingerprints development and antibiotics detection

The water-soluble aggregation-induced emission (AIE) molecule is desirable as a turn-on fluorescence probe, but it is challenging because most AIE-based molecules are lipophilic and can emit strong fluorescence in water. To address the problem, tetraphenylethene (TPE) backbones are decorated with hydrophilic pyridine ethanol-related groups, and a series of novel amphiphilic TPE-based pyridinium salts (denoted as TPE-Py-OH, TPE-2Py-2OH and TPE-4Py-4OH) are synthesized. Encouragingly, TPE-2Py-2OH aqueous solution which is almost non-emissive can be used as a bifunctional turn-on fluorescent probe for developing latent fingerprints (LFPs) and detecting antibiotics. Level 3 details in LFPs are developed via soaking/ spraying method, owing to that AIE phenomenon is activated by the combination of lipophilic part in TPE-2Py-2OH and fatty acid residues in fingerprints. The method is worthy to promote, because it displays the advantages of water solubility, low working concentration, ease of operation, good stability, high safety, high contrast, high sensitivity, and high selectivity. It can also response to penicillin potassium (PNG) with a detection limit of 0.18 μM because the electrostatic interaction between TPE-2Py-2OH and PNG can mainly induce the enhanced fluorescence. This discovery provides a facile approach to design more promising amphiphilic AIE-based turn-on fluorescence probes.

Color-tunable fluorescent silica-based hybrid film of stacked structure based on a single amphiphilic AIEgen

The large-area and color-tunable fluorescent (FL) films have great potential applications in light-emitting devices and color displays. Yet, the challenge of realizing truly color-tunable emissions using a single fluorophore remains. Herein, we present a large-area, transparent and ultra-stable free-standing FL silica-based film (FSFSF) with color-tunable emissions prepared by using an amphiphilic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogen (AIEgen) as both a structure-directing agent and a light-emitting source. The color-tunable FSFSFs have been facilely prepared at the gas–liquid (GL-FSFSF) and solid–liquid interfaces (SL-FSFSF) by simply stacking the AIEgen/SiO2 composite layers with different self-assembled structures using an approach combining self-assembly with sol-gel process. These films exhibited variable excitation-dependent emission colors, emitting bright blue and green fluorescences as well as dark red fluorescence from one single visual field under excitation with UV, blue, and green lights, respectively. The research found that the resulting GL-FSFSF had a sandwich-like structure with an alternate arrangement of cylindrical and spherical AIEgen micelles in the silica matrix, and exhibited unusual excitation-dependent multi-wavelength and morphology-dependent dual-center emission characteristics. It has been reported that the luminescence of many AIE compounds is morphology-dependent. Therefore, we speculate that the two emission centers of the film are related to the two self-assembled morphologies of amphiphilic AIEgen. Its bright blue and green fluorescence is attributed to the same emission intensity of the two luminescent centers. This study has demonstrated that morphology- and excitation-dependent color-tunable emissions based on one AIE fluorophore can be achieved by incorporating AIEgen aggregates with different self-assembled morphologies in the matrix. Such a simple strategy can be extended to construct other multicolor-tunable FL hybrid materials.

The Role of Structural Hydrophobicity on Cationic Amphiphilic Aggregation-Induced Emission Photosensitizer-Bacterial Interaction and Photodynamic Efficiency.

The aggregation-induced emission photosensitizer (AIE PS) has stood out as an alternative and competent candidate in bacterial theranostics, particularly with the use of cationic AIE PS in bacterial discrimination and elimination. Most reported work emphasizes the role of electrostatic interaction between cationic AIE PS and negatively charged bacterial surfaces, enabling broad applications from bacterial discrimination to bacterial killing. However, the underlying targeting mechanism and the design rationale of the cationic AIE PS for effective bacterial labeling remain poorly investigated. In this Article, we designed and synthesized a series of cationic amphiphilic AIE PSs with different calculated log P values. Then, we systemically studied the relationship between the hydrophobicity variation of AIE PS and bacterial targeting outcomes, the dose of AIE PS needed to label various species of bacteria, and their photodynamic antibacterial efficiency. The findings in this work provide a better understanding of the unclear AIE PS-bacterial interaction mechanism and some insights into the structural design strategies of cationic amphiphilic AIE PS for better development in bacterial theranostics.

Sulfonium-cation-containing aggregation-induced emission block copolymers: self-assembly, multicolor emission, and detection for DNA polyplexes

Amphiphilic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) polymers have emerged as highly attractive materials that exhibit the synergistic effect of functional polymeric self-assemblies with AIE luminogens. In this study, we design and synthesize block copolymers containing sulfonium cations and a hydrophobic tetraphenylethene (TPE) unit. These copolymers exhibit distinct self-assembly behaviors with AIE, polyplex formation with DNA, and tunable color emissions. Amphiphilic block copolymer PMTEAMe+Cl--b-PATPE, consisting of 4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl acrylate (ATPE) and cationized 2-(methylthio)ethyl acrylate (MTEAMe+Cl-), was synthesized via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization, followed by cationization. Self-assembled structures containing TPE-aggregated cores and cationic PMTEAMe+Cl- shells and their emission behaviors were investigated. By introducing charged fluorescent dyes (Rose Bengal and Rhodamine B) into aqueous solutions of amphiphilic PMTEAMe+Cl--b-PATPE, we observed a shift in the emission color from blue to orange/red, which was attributed to the electrostatic interactions and fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the dyes and the copolymers. The emission color and intensity were also governed by polyplex formation between the negatively charged DNA and the positively charged sulfonium segments in the shell, depending on the charged states of the dyes. This system provides a method for efficient visual detection of DNA polyplex formation using multicolor fluorescent coding.

Mitochondria-Targeted Fluorescent Nanoparticles with Large Stokes Shift for Long-Term BioImaging.

Mitochondria (MITO) play a significant role in various physiological processes and are a key organelle associated with different human diseases including cancer, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, etc. Thus, detecting the activity of MITO in real time is becoming more and more important. Herein, a novel class of amphiphilic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) active probe fluorescence (AC-QC nanoparticles) based on a quinoxalinone scaffold was developed for imaging MITO. AC-QC nanoparticles possess an excellent ability to monitor MITO in real-time. This probe demonstrated the following advantages: (1) lower cytotoxicity; (2) superior photostability; and (3) good performance in long-term imaging in vitro. Each result of these indicates that self-assembled AC-QC nanoparticles can be used as effective and promising MITO-targeted fluorescent probes.

Self-assembled super-small AIEgen nanoprobe for highly sensitive and selective detection of protamine and trypsin.

Amphiphilic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) molecules show superior potential for fabricating novel ultrasmall nanoprobes. Here, an anionic dipyridyl tetraphenylethene (TPE) derivative is rationally designed and a super-small self-assembled AIEgen nanoprobe (TPE-2Py-SO3NaNPs, ca. 2.48 nm) is thus conveniently constructed for the supersensitive detection of protamine and trypsin. In HEPES/DMSO solution (8 : 2, v/v, pH = 7.4), negatively charged TPE-2Py-SO3NaNPs exhibited an AIE effect in the presence of positively charged protamine, presenting a fluorescence enhancement at 498 nm together with a large Stokes shift of 150 nm and a low detection limit of 8.0 ng mL-1. In addition, the in situ formed TPE-2Py-SO3Na/protamine nanocomposite can be dissociated by trypsin due to the highly selective degradation of protamine via enzymatic hydrolysis, achieving a detection limit for trypsin as low as 5.0 ng mL-1.

A Cationic Amphiphilic AIE Polymer for Mitochondrial Targeting and Imaging.

Mitochondria are important organelles that play key roles in generating the energy needed for life and in pathways such as apoptosis. Direct targeting of antitumor drugs, such as doxorubicin (DOX), to mitochondria into cells is an effective approach for cancer therapy and inducing cancer cell death. To achieve targeted and effective delivery of antitumor drugs to tumor cells, to enhance the therapeutic effect, and to reduce the side effects during the treatment, we prepared a cationic amphiphilic polymer with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristic. The polymer could be localized to mitochondria with excellent organelle targeting, and it showed good mitochondrial targeting with low toxicity. The polymer could also self-assemble into doxorubicin-loaded micelles in phosphate buffer, with a particle size of about 4.3 nm, an encapsulation rate of 11.03%, and micelle drug loading that reached 0.49%. The results of in vitro cytotoxicity experiments showed that the optimal dosage was 2.0 μg/mL, which had better inhibitory effect on tumor cells and less biological toxicity on heathy cells. Therefore, the cationic amphiphilic polymer can partially replace expensive commercial mitochondrial targeting reagents, and it can be also used as a drug loading tool to directly target mitochondria in cells for corresponding therapeutic research.

Synthesis of amphiphilic AIE fluorescent nanoparticles via CO2 involved multicomponent reaction and its biological imaging potential

Fluorescent materials with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) have standout as one of the most interesting candidates for biomedical applications. The development of new methods for fabrication of AIE-active materials will surely advance their applications in related fields. In this work, we reported a novel method for preparation of AIE-active luminescent polymer (Lys-PEG-TPE) through a three-component reaction involving carbon dioxide (CO2) using lysine, Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and AIEgen as the reactants. On account of the introduction of PEG, Lys-PEG-TPE could well disperse in aqueous solution, while hydrophobic TPE will aggregate in the core of self-assembled nanoparticles, endowing the obvious enhancement of fluorescence intensity. Results from biological assays suggested that Lys-PEG-TPE exhibits almost no toxicity after incubation with HepG2 cells and its fluorescence can be clearly observed in cytoplasm after cell internalization. More importantly, the AIE feature of Lys-PEG-TPE could not only effectively solve the aggregation-induced quenching effect of traditional fluorescent molecules, the carboxyl groups of lysine could also be used for loading functional cationic ions (e.g., anticancer drugs or imaging agents) to fabricate multifunctional theranostic and imaging composites. Considering the benign reaction conditions, high atom economy, and well tunability of reactants of multicomponent reactions, this strategy should be of broad interesting for fabrication of multifunctional AIE-active materials for biomedical applications.

An AIE luminogen self-assembled nanoprobe for efficient monitoring of the concentration and structural transition of human serum albumin

Monitoring the content and structural transition of human serum albumin (HSA) is valuable for diagnosing hypoalbuminemia and albuminuria and elucidating its transport function, respectively. Herein, we developed a multifunctional and efficient nanoprobe based on the self-assembly of an amphiphilic aggregation-induced emission luminogen, TPNN, for HSA detection and structure monitoring. TPNN molecules formed loose self-assembly in aqueous media and emitted faint fluorescence due to vigorous intramolecular motion. In the presence of HSA, a remarkable fluorescence enhancement accompanied by dissociation of TPNN assembly was observed due to the site-specific binding of TPNN to the middle long-narrow pocket of HSA. This binding blocked the intramolecular motion while producing a sensitive, selective, fast and stable fluorescence turn-on response to HSA, making TPNN assembly suitable for the HSA assay. TPNN assemblies also showed superior selectivity to HSA than bovine serum albumin (BSA) due to the distinct binding modes, and enabled us to distinguish the two homologous proteins. Furthermore, the generated TPNN-HSA complex underwent stepwise fluorescence quenching in the presence of protein denaturants and proteases, which revealed the process and kinetics of HSA unfolding and cleavage. TPNN assembly provides a powerful tool for accurate quantification of HSA in serum and urine and real-time monitoring of HSA structural transition.

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) nanoparticles based on γ-cyclodextrin and their applications in biomedicine

Amphiphilic AIE nanoparticles (CD-TPE) were obtained by linking γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) and 1, 2-diphenyl-1, 2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-ethylene (OH-TPE-OH) by an esterification reaction using hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) in a one-step process. The CD-TPE was characterized by FTIR, 13C NMR, DSC, XRD, particle size analysis, TEM, and FL. The obtained CD-TPE had good water dispersibility and could self-assemble into AIE nanoparticles. The large cavity of CD-TPE provided convenient conditions for the loading of doxorubicin (DOX) and slow-release DOX with the loading and release rates of 67.4 % and 71.3 % (pH = 5.4), respectively. The DOX release kinetic model was suitable for the Bhaskar model. Cytotoxicity analysis and cell imaging of CD-TPE were performed, showing that CD-TPE has good biocompatibility and excellent cell imaging performance. Moreover, both in vitro and in vivo antitumor experiments showed that CD-TPE has promising applications in drug delivery.

Surfactant‐Inspired Coassembly Strategy to Integrate Aggregation‐Induced Emission Photosensitizer with Organosilica Nanoparticles for Efficient Theranostics

AbstractConstruction of versatile nanotemplate bearing inherent distinctive functions and prominent drug‐carrying capability is an appealing yet significantly challenging task. Here, inspired by the guiding role of surfactant in preparing nanoparticles, an amphiphilic aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) photosensitizer, namely MeOTTVP, is synthesized with attractive near‐infrared (NIR) emission and high‐performance reactive oxygen species production, and followed by dual‐templating‐assisted one‐pot method involving MeOTTVP as the skeleton to fabricate organosilica nanoparticles (AIE‐ONs). The presented AIE‐ONs perfectly inherit the functions of MeOTTVP, and are also capable of loading antibiotics and anticancer drugs. Doxorubicin can be assembled on AIE‐ONs and then capped with hyaluronic acid, endowing the resulting hybrid with NIR fluorescence imaging‐guided synergetic photodynamic/chemotherapy performance, thereby offering boosted anticancer efficacy and reduced side effects. Furthermore, by loading antibiotic rifampicin, the newly obtained AIE‐ONs integrating chemo‐photodynamic antibacterial functions provide broad‐spectrum antibacterial activity and fluorescence monitoring behavior. This study thus not only offers a promising strategy to fabricate NIR nanoparticles on a large scale, but also provides useful insights into designing an advanced theranostic protocol for treating both cancer and bacterial infections.

Aggregation-induced emission-active fluorescent polymer sensors for the detection of water in organic solvents, Cu2+ and hemolysis

The hydrophobic polymer HDDA-EDT-SADA with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) property was synthesized via the thiol-ene click copolymerization of salicylaldehyde azine (SA) derivative diacrylate monomer SADA and commercially available 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT) and 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate (HDDA). HDDA-EDT-SADA was found to display unexpected intense fluorescence in acetone and DMSO compared to that in other good solvents, which dramatically decreased by adding small amount of water. We demonstrate that HDDA-EDT-SADA can be used as a fluorescent sensor for water detection in acetone and DMSO. To improve the water solubility of the AIE-active polymer, SADA was copolymerized with dithiothreitol (DTT) and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) to give an amphiphilic AIE polymer PEGDA-DTT-SADA. Similar fluorescence phenomenon was also found in DMF, suggesting that PEGDA-DTT-SADA could serve as an indicator for water detection in DMF. Thanks to the PEG segments and DTT units, the PEGDA-DTT-SADA was able to well-disperse in water via the formation of stable micelles. The PEGDA-DTT-SADA selectively complexed with Cu2+ and thus could be used as a fluorescent sensor for Cu2+ detection in aqueous media. Moreover, the PEGDA-DTT-SADA could be utilized as a fluorescent sensor for hemolysis ratio detection of red blood cells (RBCs) due to the inner filter effect.

Immunostimulatory AIE Dots for Live-Cell Imaging and Drug Delivery.

The mechanical properties of nanoscale drug carriers play critical roles in regulating nano-bio interactions. For example, the superior deformability of the softer nanoparticles enables them to pass through the biofilters efficiently, facilitating their long blood circulation and better tumor penetration. However, as a novel nanocarrier system, the elimination efficiency of soft nanoparticles from cells is poorly investigated. Here, we report a facile strategy to prepare soft luminescent nanoparticles through self-assembly of amphiphilic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorophores. The prepared soft AIE dots exhibit strong light emission (quantum yield, ∼27.1%) and can reveal the encapsulation and excretion process of NPs in real time. The cell results showed that soft NPs can greatly increase the transfer speed of nanomaterials into cells and accelerate their elimination from cells through the sacrifice of soft AIE dots. We also show that soft AIE dots loaded with cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) oligodeoxynucleotides can induce strong immunostimulatory effects, producing a high level of various proinflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-R, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-12. This work demonstrates a new design strategy for synthesizing a soft nanocarrier system that can deliver drugs into cells efficiently and then be eliminated from cells quickly.

Aggregation-induced emission-active hyperbranched polymer-based nanoparticles and their biological imaging applications

Herein, we developed a facile one-pot approach to prepare amphiphilic aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active hyperbranched fluorescent nanoparticles with a core–shell structure. This was conducted via the addition reaction between tetraphenylethylene (TPE)-OH, isophorone diisocyanate, and hyperbranched polyglycidol (HPG) using a one-pot method. The resultant AIE-active hyperbranched polymer structure was characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The amphiphilic AIE-active polymer was prone to self-assemble in an aqueous solution to form core–shell type nanoparticles with a TPE core and hydroxyl groups on the core surface. The self-assembly of nanoparticles in the aqueous solution was characterized using dynamic light scattering, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Aggregation behavior of TPE-HPG polymer in water and diethyl ether was studied by dissipative particle dynamics simulation. Furthermore, these TPE-HPG nanoparticles exhibited a strong blue luminescence in the aqueous solution due to the aggregation of the AIE feature of TPE. These polymeric nanoparticles showed high water solubility, good photostability, and biological imaging properties. The cell viability assay and confocal microscopy imaging results suggested that the TPE-HPG fluorescent polymeric organic nanoparticles (FPNs) have low cytotoxicity and excellent biocompatibility. Thus, TPE-HPG FPNs are excellent candidates for biomedical applications.

An AIE polymer prepared via aldehyde-hydrazine step polymerization and the application in Cu2+ and S2− detection

Herein we reported the synthesis of a novel amphiphilic AIE (aggregation-induced emission) polymer with salicylaldehyde azine (SA) moieties and PEG segments in the backbone via the aldehyde-hydrazine step polymerization. The polymer can self-assemble into stable micelles in water at ambient temperature and display intense orange fluorescence because of the aggregation of SA moieties in the core. Moreover, the polymer was found to be thermoresponsive with a relatively high LCST (lower critical solution temperature) and the LCST can be tuned via the chain length of PEG segments. The polymer micelles formed at ambient temperature can serve as a turn-off fluorescent probe for the selective detection of Cu2+ in aqueous media with a low detection limit of 53 nM. The fluorescence of polymer can be completely quenched by Cu2+ and the formed polymer-Cu2+ complex can be used as a turn-on fluorescent probe for the selective detection of S2− with a detection limit of 0.24 μM. The polymer is expected as a useful fluorescent probe for the selective detection of Cu2+ and S2− in environmental field.

Novel platform for visualization monitoring of hydrolytic degradation of bio-degradable polymers based on aggregation-induced emission (AIE) technique

Although lots of works have been done on the hydrolysis of synthetic biodegradable polymers, the methods for monitoring the degradation process still suffer from some disadvantages, especially in terms of detection speed and non-invasive manners. In this work, a fast, non-invasive visualization monitoring platform was developed for hydrolytic degradation of bio-degradable polymers based on aggregation-induced emission (AIE) technique. We synthesized and introduced an amphiphilic AIE probe to the commercial polylactide (PLA) matrix through a simple co-precipitation process. Amphiphilic AIE probes gradually entered the aqueous media during the hydrolytic degradation process of PLA matrix, which exhibited fluorescence evolution. The variation of fluorescence emission corresponding to the evolution of PLA mass loss could be easily observed by naked eyes. Compared to traditional characterization techniques based on mass loss and molar mass measurements by sampling, this method is sensitive, fast and non-invasive, and has the potential to become a standard method for commercial bio-degradable product testing.

A Novel Amphiphilic AIE Molecule and Its Application in Thermosensitive Liposome

AbstractA novel amphiphilic aggregation induced emission (AIE) molecule was prepared from tetraphenyl ethylene unit modified with long chain and carboxylic acid. It acted as an effective ingredient to form liposomes through self‐assembly with phospholipids. The smart nanomaterial exhibited good aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) characteristic and excellent response to temperature below 50 °C. Moreover, in vitro imaging shows that it has the potential to be used in biomedical field as drug delivery system.