Amplified electrochemiluminescence signals promoted by the AIE-active moiety of D-A type polymer dots for biosensing

Near-infrared electrochemiluminescence biosensors facilitated by thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters for ctDNA analysis

The near-infrared electrochemiluminescence technique (NIR ECL) has gained significant attention as a powerful analytical tool in biomedicine and clinical diagnosis due to its inherent advantages. In this work, we successfully synthesized a novel NIR ECL emitter of TPA-DCPP nanoparticles (NPs) with a D-π-A-π-D configuration. By utilizing the thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) property, we achieved enhanced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emission through complete exciton harvesting for radiative decay. Specifically, when BDEA was used as a co-reactant, the TPA-DCPP NPs exhibited strong bandgap ECL emission. Additionally, they demonstrated an exceptionally higher ECL efficiency compared to conventional near-infrared fluorescence organic nanomaterials (BSeT-BT NPs). By integrating the efficient anodic ECL performance of TPA-DCPP NPs with Exo III-assisted polymerase enzyme reaction cascade amplification, a highly efficient ECL resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET) platform was developed for ultrasensitive detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). The established biosensor demonstrated an exceptional linear dynamic range and achieved attomolar-level detection limit. This study highlights the immense potential of TADF emitters in enhancing ECL efficiency and extends the emission wavelength of organic nanomaterials to the NIR region, thereby expanding their applications in biological analysis.

Electrochemiluminescent sensor based on an aggregation-induced emission probe for bioanalytical detection

In recent years, with the rapid development of electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensors, more luminophores have been designed to achieve high-throughput and reliable analysis. Impressively, after the proposed fantastic concept of "aggregation-induced electrochemiluminescence (AIECL)" by Cola, the application of AIECL emitters provides more abundant choices for the further improvement of ECL sensors. In this review, we briefly report the phenomenon, principle and representative applications of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and AIECL emitters. Moreover, it is noteworthy that the cases of AIECL sensors for bioanalytical detection are summarized in detail, from 2017 to now. Finally, inspired by the applications of AIECL emitters, relevant prospects and challenges for AIECL sensors are proposed, which is of great significance for exploring more advanced bioanalytical detection technology.

A triphenylamine-based aggregation-enhanced emission probe for viscosity and polarity analysis of lubricating oils

Lubricating oils offers abundant information about the operating state of machines. In this work, a donor-acceptor aggregation-enhanced emission fluorescent molecule, (Z)-4-(1-cyano-2-(4-(diphenylamino)phenyl)vinyl)benzonitrile (CPA-TPA), was synthesized to investigate its function to sense the viscosity and polarity of lubricant base oils. The results indicated that the molecule showed steadily-increased fluorescence emission with the base oil viscosity. In a mixture of poly-α-olefin/ester base oils, its optimal emission gradually red-shifted with the ester oil fraction, i.e., the polarity of the lubricant. A good correlation could be established between the emission intensity of the probe and the oil viscosity or between the optimal emission wavelength and the oil polarity. This demonstrates a dual-response fluorescent probe used for lubricating oil analysis and opens a new opportunity to develop a molecule-based method for the evaluation of lubricating oil quality.

Aggregation-Induced Emission-Active Biomacromolecules: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

Biomacromolecules featuring aggregation-induced-emission (AIE) characteristics generally present new properties and performances that are silent in the molecular state, providing endless possibilities for the evolution of biomedical applications. Tremendous achievements based on the research of AIE-active biomacromolecules have been made in synthetic exploration, material development, and practical applications. In this Perspective, we give a brief account in the development of AIE-active biomacromolecules. Remarkable progresses have been made in the exploration of AIE-active biomacromolecule preparation, structure-property relationships, and the relevant biomedical applications. The existing challenges and promising opportunities, as well as the future directions in AIE-active biomacromolecule research, are also discussed. It is expected that this Perspective can act as a trigger for the innovation of AIE-active biomacromolecule research and aggregate science.

Aggregation-Induced Emission in Electrochemiluminescence: Advances and Perspectives

The discovery of aggregation-induced electrochemiluminescence (AIECL) in 2017 opened new research paths in the quest for novel, more efficient emitters and platforms for biological and environmental sensing applications. The great abundance of fluorophores presenting aggregation-induced emission in aqueous media renders AIECL a potentially powerful tool for future diagnostics. In the short time following this discovery, many scientists have found the phenomenon interesting, with research findings contributing to advances in the comprehension of the processes involved and in attempts to design new sensing platforms. Herein, we explore these advances and reflect on the future directions to take for the development of sensing devices based on AIECL.

Improving the Overall Properties of Circularly Polarized Luminescent Materials Through Arene-Perfluoroarene Interactions

A major trade-off in the field of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) of pure organic materials is that the large luminescence dissymmetry factor (g_lum ) usually gives rise to the suppression of luminescence efficiency (Φ_PL ). Here, a supramolecular self-assembled system, driven by arene-perfluoroarene (AP) interactions of chiral polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and octafluoronaphthalene (OFN), is reported to provide a solution to this problem. Two kinds of chiral PAHs based on pyrene and anthracene could co-assemble with OFN in hybrid solvents to form long-range-ordered AP assemblies. The detailed process of AP interaction driving self-assembly was verified by morphological measurements and fluorescence spectra. The AP assemblies exhibited chirality amplification not only in the excited state but also in the ground state. In addition, the AP assemblies showed an enhanced luminescence efficiency compared with the individual chiral PAHs due to the energy-barrier effect of OFN. The present strategy based on AP interactions could be applied to boost the development of highly efficient CPL-active materials.