Construction and modulation of aggregation-induced emission materials based on dynamic covalent bonds

Abstract

The remarkable advantages and promising application potentials of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) materials have seen significant advancements in recent years. Notably, AIE materials incorporating dynamic covalent bonds (DCBs) have garnered escalating attention and demonstrated remarkable progress due to their reversible and self-adaptive properties, thus exhibiting immense potential across various domains including biomedicine, nanomaterials, sensing, and optical displays. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the recent strides in DCBs-based AIE materials, organized by the types of dynamic covalent bonds utilized, such as Diels–Alder reaction, imine bond, transesterification, boronic ester bond, disulfide bond, [2+2] Cycloaddition Reaction and X-yne adducts exchange. Through exemplifying representative cases, we elucidate the design principles of chemical structures and the diverse dynamic behaviors exhibited by DCBs-based AIE materials. Leveraging the principles of dynamic covalent chemistry, these emissive materials can be facilely prepared, and they possess inherent self-adaptability and responsiveness to stimuli. Finally, we present succinct conclusions and discuss future trends in this burgeoning field, offering fresh insights into the design of novel luminescent materials based on dynamic covalent bonds for broader applications.