Aggregate (Hoboken, N.J.)最新文献

{"title":"The Solid-State Emission of AIPE-Active Tricarbonylrhenium(I) Complexes Shifts to the Red: The Unexpected Performance of Triphenylphosphine Derivatives","authors":"Valentine Guilbaud,&nbsp;Mariusz Wolff,&nbsp;Maëlle Deleuzière,&nbsp;Evelyne Delfourne,&nbsp;Corinne Vanucci-Bacqué,&nbsp;Charles-Louis Serpentini,&nbsp;Sonia Mallet-Ladeira,&nbsp;Eric Benoist,&nbsp;Suzanne Fery-Forgues","doi":"10.1002/agt2.70389","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agt2.70389","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Red emitters suitable for solid-state applications are the subject of intense research. However, their development is delicate because, in general, the more the emission is red-shifted, the more its efficiency decreases. In this work, two series of phosphorescent tricarbonylrhenium complexes were synthesized and studied, both theoretically and experimentally. Their organic ligand is a phenyl-substituted quinoline or quinoxaline derivative. They also differ in their ancillary ligand, chloride or triphenylphosphine (TPP), and the presence of a bulky adamantyl substituent, initially introduced to improve the solid-state arrangement and thus the light emission efficiency. Unsurprisingly, chlorido complexes were not luminescent in solution, and only quinoline derivatives emitted faint red light in the solid state. In contrast, phosphino complexes were weakly phosphorescent in solution and showed strong solid-state luminescence enhancement. A red emission was observed for the microcrystalline powders of quinoxaline derivatives, with a PLQY up to 43%, a performance rarely achieved in this spectral region. This effect was attributed to the double intra- and intermolecular stabilization provided by the TPP moiety. The phosphino complexes were very well suited to aggregation-induced phosphorescence emission (AIPE) experiments. Their potential interest for related applications was shown. An adamantyl-substituted complex was used for the detection of sodium deoxycholate by taking advantage of the competition between these two compounds for a <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mi>β</mi>\u0000 <annotation>$ubeta$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math>-cyclodextrin. Until now, phosphino tricarbonylrhenium complexes have been mainly exploited for their photodecarbonylation properties useful in phototherapy. This work shows that they are photostable after proper chemical modifications, and that their unique spectroscopic properties make them the leaders of a new generation of red emitters.</p>","PeriodicalId":72127,"journal":{"name":"Aggregate (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agt2.70389","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148496792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spin–Vibronic Coupling From Higher-Lying Triplets is Crucial for Intersystem Crossing and Room-Temperature Phosphorescence","authors":"Wen-Kai Chen,&nbsp;Rui-Lian Zhou,&nbsp;Qing-Xin Xiang,&nbsp;Yanyan Liu,&nbsp;Ganglong Cui","doi":"10.1002/agt2.70397","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agt2.70397","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Achieving highly efficient purely organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) remains a formidable challenge due to inherently weak spin–orbit coupling and slow intersystem crossing (ISC) between the singlet and triplet manifolds. To address this limitation, the involvement of higher-lying triplet states (&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;math&gt;\u0000 &lt;semantics&gt;\u0000 &lt;msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;T&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;n&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;/msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;annotation&gt;${{T}_n}$&lt;/annotation&gt;\u0000 &lt;/semantics&gt;&lt;/math&gt;)—either through direct ISC (&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;math&gt;\u0000 &lt;semantics&gt;\u0000 &lt;mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;S&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;mn&gt;1&lt;/mn&gt;\u0000 &lt;/msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;mo&gt;→&lt;/mo&gt;\u0000 &lt;msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;T&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;n&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;/msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;mo&gt;→&lt;/mo&gt;\u0000 &lt;msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;T&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;mn&gt;1&lt;/mn&gt;\u0000 &lt;/msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;/mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;annotation&gt;${{S}_1}to {{T}_n}to {{T}_1}$&lt;/annotation&gt;\u0000 &lt;/semantics&gt;&lt;/math&gt;) or indirect nonadiabatic spin–vibronic coupling (NA-SVC) enhanced ISC (&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;math&gt;\u0000 &lt;semantics&gt;\u0000 &lt;msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;T&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;n&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;/msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;annotation&gt;${{T}_n}$&lt;/annotation&gt;\u0000 &lt;/semantics&gt;&lt;/math&gt; mediates &lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;math&gt;\u0000 &lt;semantics&gt;\u0000 &lt;mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;S&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;mn&gt;1&lt;/mn&gt;\u0000 &lt;/msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;mo&gt;→&lt;/mo&gt;\u0000 &lt;msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;T&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;mn&gt;1&lt;/mn&gt;\u0000 &lt;/msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;/mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;annotation&gt;${{S}_1}to {{T}_1}$&lt;/annotation&gt;\u0000 &lt;/semantics&gt;&lt;/math&gt; without being populated)—has emerged as a powerful strategy to facilitate triplet harvesting. However, it remains unclear exactly how &lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;math&gt;\u0000 &lt;semantics&gt;\u0000 &lt;msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;T&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;n&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;/msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;annotation&gt;${{T}_n}$&lt;/annotation&gt;\u0000 &lt;/semantics&gt;&lt;/math&gt; participates in these two distinct pathways, and under which conditions one pathway dominates over the other. To address these questions, we develop a theoretical framework integrating the time-dependent generating function (TD-GF) algorithm with the multilayer energy-based fragment (MLEBF) method, enabling evaluation of NA-SVC contributions to ISC rate constants in the crystalline phase at the full quantum mechanical (QM) level. This computational protocol is applied to elucidate the competing ISC pathways in a series of carbazole derivatives (&lt;b&gt;BeCbz&lt;/","PeriodicalId":72127,"journal":{"name":"Aggregate (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agt2.70397","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148496793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"NIR-II Fluorescence Surgical Navigation for Gastric Cancer: Systematic Preclinical Validation Toward Clinical Application","authors":"Xiaolong Liu,&nbsp;Zhe Feng,&nbsp;Yunxue Xu,&nbsp;Jiaxi Cheng,&nbsp;Yujie Li,&nbsp;Zihang Liu,&nbsp;Baixuan Wu,&nbsp;Xiaoxiao Fan,&nbsp;Zhifei Dai,&nbsp;Jun Qian,&nbsp;Hui Lin","doi":"10.1002/agt2.70398","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agt2.70398","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The precise intraoperative delineation of gastric tumors and their micrometastases remains a major challenge in surgical oncology. To address this, we developed a novel NIR-II fluorescent probe named SPN01 targeting integrin αvβ3, a receptor upregulated in gastric cancer and associated tumor vasculature. SPN01 was constructed by conjugating RGD peptide to a high-performance cyanine fluorophore with net neutral charge. In multiple preclinical models, SPN01 enabled high-contrast visualization of sub-centimeter orthotopic tumors, detection of occult peritoneal micrometastases as small as 0.5 mm, and specific identification of metastatic lymph nodes. Concurrently, near-infrared II (NIR-II, 900–1880 nm) fluorescence guidance facilitated the complete resection of tumors with clear margins, owing to the superior brightness of SPN01 in the NIR-II window. Notably, ex vivo validation using human gastric cancer specimens confirmed target-specific binding. Comprehensive pharmacokinetic and safety studies demonstrated rapid dual-pathway clearance and no obvious toxicity. Following these findings, we conducted a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial involving 24 healthy volunteers, which demonstrated a favorable safety profile for SPN01. These findings support SPN01-assisted NIR-II fluorescence-guided surgery as a promising candidate for clinical translation with the potential to enhance the completeness of gastric cancer resection.</p>","PeriodicalId":72127,"journal":{"name":"Aggregate (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agt2.70398","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148496794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Atomically Precise Trehalose-Capped Au25 Nanoclusters: Synthesis and Tunable Antimicrobial Activity","authors":"Mohammad Bodiuzzaman,&nbsp;Harini A. Perera,&nbsp;Dang Truong,&nbsp;Jia Tu,&nbsp;William Ndugire,&nbsp;Wendy E. Gavin,&nbsp;Kithma Sajini,&nbsp;Jerome Delhommelle,&nbsp;Mingdi Yan","doi":"10.1002/agt2.70396","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agt2.70396","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The ability to synthesize well-defined and atomically precise nanoclusters is important both in advancing fundamental understanding of structure–property relationships of nanomaterials and for materials, energy, and biomedical applications. Nonetheless, incorporating bioactive ligands into the nanoclusters poses a significant challenge, mostly due to complex metallophilic interactions and incompatibility with typical synthetic conditions. In this work, we developed a straightforward method for the synthesis of an atomically precise gold nanocluster capped with a carbohydrate ligand, trehalose, Au₂₅Tre₁₈, in one step and in 55% yield. The formation of the nanocluster was enabled by using a mild reducing agent, <i>t</i>-butylamine borane, in a biphasic condition. The structure was confirmed by high-resolution mass spectrometry, optical absorption spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. 2D DOSY NMR gave a diffusion coefficient of 1.9 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²s⁻¹ and the hydrodynamic diameter of 1.6 nm for Au₂₅Tre₁₈. The CD spectrum of Au₂₅Tre₁₈ indicated chirality, having features differing from other chiral Au₂₅ nanoclusters. The aqueous solution of Au₂₅Tre₁₈ was stable and showed no degradation during a heating and cooling cycle from room temperature to 80°C. In a thiourea (TU)-triggered release assay, Au₂₅Tre₁₈ exhibited enhanced antimicrobial activity against <i>Mycobacterium smegmatis</i>, showing a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) four times lower than that of Au₂₅ nanocluster capped with glutathione, Au₂₅SG₁₈. Treating the bacteria at 1 × MIC of Au₂₅Tre₁₈/TU resulted in complete eradication of bacteria, whereas bacteria treated with Au₂₅SG₁₈/TU at the same concentration continued to grow.</p>","PeriodicalId":72127,"journal":{"name":"Aggregate (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agt2.70396","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148496751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Living Crystallization-Driven Self-Assembly: Entering an Era of Functional Customization","authors":"Chenchen Gao,&nbsp;Yao Lu,&nbsp;Zhenyan Ji,&nbsp;Peiwen Wang,&nbsp;Xiaomin Cai,&nbsp;Jiawei Tao,&nbsp;Huibin Qiu","doi":"10.1002/agt2.70393","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agt2.70393","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Living crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) has evolved beyond fundamental morphological control, driving a paradigm shift toward an era of precise functional customization. This review highlights the transition of living CDSA from a structural fabrication tool to a highly modular platform for tailored functional nanomaterials. We highlight how living CDSA enables the precise construction of hierarchical nanostructures, such as one-dimensional nanofibers, two-dimensional platelets, and multicomponent micellar brushes through delicate tailoring of crystallizable cores and solvated coronas. We systematically evaluate the strategies for intrinsic material design, exogenous functionalization, and surface engineering. By integrating the precise architectures and highly designable functional modules, living CDSA facilitates the creation of various functional materials for catalysis, energy conversion, biomedicine, and so forth. This review emphasizes living CDSA as a universal platform to address key challenges in materials science, offering insights into scalable, application-driven nanomaterial fabrication.</p>","PeriodicalId":72127,"journal":{"name":"Aggregate (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agt2.70393","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148386117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Chemical Regulatory Landscape of Biomolecular Condensates","authors":"Di Liu,&nbsp;Xin Zhang","doi":"10.1002/agt2.70395","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agt2.70395","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Biomolecular condensates, formed via liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), play crucial roles in a range of cellular processes. Dysregulated or aberrant condensates are closely associated with diseases including neurodegeneration, cancer, metabolic disorders, and viral infections. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that LLPS is highly amenable to chemical regulation. Diverse chemical agents can modulate phase separation by directly or indirectly perturbing the weak, multivalent interactions that govern condensate formation, dissolution, size, material properties, and maturation. The identification of LLPS-modulating chemical regulators not only provides powerful probes for dissecting the physicochemical principles underlying condensate behavior, but also highlights emerging opportunities for the development of condensate-targeting strategies of potential therapeutic relevance. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the chemical regulation of LLPS, organizing regulatory strategies according to their dominant mechanistic level of action. We highlight how chemical perturbations reshape phase behavior by altering conformational ensembles, effective interaction valency, electrostatic and metabolic environments, or bulk solvent properties, thereby shifting phase boundaries or biasing pathological liquid-to-solid transitions. Finally, we discuss emerging opportunities and remaining challenges in the rational discovery of selective, mechanism-informed LLPS regulators.</p>","PeriodicalId":72127,"journal":{"name":"Aggregate (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agt2.70395","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148386994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Positive Encapsulation-Induced Emission Control of Aggregation-Induced Emission-Active Anthracenes within Micellar Capsules in Water","authors":"Ryuki Kitaura,&nbsp;Yuta Kikuchi,&nbsp;Lorenzo Catti,&nbsp;Kensei Konishi,&nbsp;Gen-ichi Konishi,&nbsp;Michito Yoshizawa","doi":"10.1002/agt2.70391","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agt2.70391","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Whereas aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is a useful tool to develop photofunctional host systems, its guest usability has been largely unexplored within well-defined host compounds so far, mainly owing to the absence of suitable cavities. Here we report the emission control of AIE-active anthracenes upon efficient encapsulation by a terpene-based micellar capsule in 100% water. Encapsulation of monopiperidyl-substituted anthracenes yields a well-defined host-guest composite, with an average diameter of ∼3 nm, displaying green emission with high quantum yield (<i>Φ</i>_F = 53%). The yield is &gt;50 and &gt;10-fold higher than those of the AIE-dye in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and H₂O/THF suspension (<i>Φ</i>_F = 1 and 4%), respectively. This encapsulation-induced emission (EIE) is altered by changing the substituent number/shape on the aromatic framework, leading to up to <i>Φ</i>_F = 65%. Co-encapsulation of the AIE-anthracenes with aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) dyes (i.e., rubrene) enables strong yellow emission (up to <i>Φ</i>_F = 55%) through high guest-to-guest Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) and antenna effect (up to 80% and 25, respectively) in the cavity. Furthermore, this strategy realizes strong pure-white emission (<i>Φ</i>_F = 36%; CIE of (0.33, 0.33)) using other AIE-active molecules in water. The photofunctions of AIE-molecules can thus be largely expanded by the present capsule.</p>","PeriodicalId":72127,"journal":{"name":"Aggregate (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agt2.70391","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148324786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Electrically Responsive Structural-Color Materials","authors":"Qiming Wang,&nbsp;Dekun Ma,&nbsp;Cong Cao,&nbsp;Dongpeng Yang,&nbsp;Shaoming Huang","doi":"10.1002/agt2.70387","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agt2.70387","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Electrochromic materials, modulating their optical properties in response to electric fields, have shown widespread potential applications in displays, e-papers, camouflage, and smart windows, and so forth. However, conventional electrochromic materials based on chemical coloration mechanism exhibit noncontinuous color tuning ability and nontailorable color change and require high working voltages, significantly limiting their advanced applications. Recently, electrically responsive structural-color (ERSC) materials capable of addressing the above issues are regarded as the next-generation electrochromic materials and have attracted growing scientific interests. In this review, we summarize recent advances in ERSC materials through a seven-section framework. After introducing the background and significance of ERSC materials, we first classify representative structural platforms, including colloidal photonic crystals, inverse opals, liquid-crystal photonic structures, and plasmonic nanostructures. We then discuss the major electrically responsive mechanisms responsible for structural-color modulation, followed by an overview of fabrication strategies. Subsequently, key performance parameters, including color tuning range, color saturation, working voltage, response speed, hue stability, and cycling durability, are critically compared to clarify the merits and limitations of different ERSC systems. Finally, emerging applications, current challenges, and future prospects are discussed, aiming to provide guidance for the rational design and practical development of high-performance ERSC materials. This review will be helpful for facilitating the design and fabrication of outstanding ERSC materials and extend their advanced applications in color display, smart windows, information security, anticounterfeiting, dynamic camouflage, and so forth.</p>","PeriodicalId":72127,"journal":{"name":"Aggregate (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agt2.70387","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148306169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From Self-Assembly to Light-Harvesting: Supramolecular Polymerization Enables Aggregation-Induced Photocatalysis","authors":"Daniele Del Giudice,&nbsp;E. W. Meijer","doi":"10.1002/agt2.70392","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agt2.70392","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Molecular dyes often display intense absorption and emission, but are susceptible to photodegradation upon prolonged exposure to light. Isolated chromophores are therefore rarely found in biological organisms, which typically achieve high light-harvesting efficiency by utilizing highly organized and well-oriented supramolecular aggregates of dyes. This strategy not only leads to higher electron transfer efficiency, often through improved charge separation and exciton delocalization, but also increases the dye's photostability [&lt;span&gt;1&lt;/span&gt;]. Bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) is an example of an extremely labile chromophore found in green photosynthetic bacteria, whose resistance to photodegradation is ensured by self-assembling into chlorosomes, thereby improving light-harvesting performances and allowing these organisms to survive under low-light conditions [&lt;span&gt;2&lt;/span&gt;].&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Translating these concepts into synthetic materials for light-harvesting is far from simple: uncontrolled aggregation of dyes often leads to the formation of H-aggregates, excimers or exciplexes, which promote non-radiative decay and result in aggregation-caused quenching [&lt;span&gt;3&lt;/span&gt;]. However, it has been demonstrated that careful molecular design of the dye structure can suppress non-radiative decays upon assembly, leading to long-lived excited states and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior [&lt;span&gt;4&lt;/span&gt;]. In a recent study, Barbieri, Đorđević, and co-workers demonstrated that this concept can also be extended to photocatalysis [&lt;span&gt;5&lt;/span&gt;]. Their work introduces the concept of aggregation-induced photocatalysis (AIP), in which self-assembly serves as a powerful design tool to control and enhance the population of excited states accessible upon illumination, thereby unlocking photocatalytic activity. They showcased this novel concept using an amphiphilic distyrylanthracene dye (DSA&lt;sup&gt;2+&lt;/sup&gt;), which undergoes salt-induced hierarchical self-assembly into flat nanoribbons that subsequently organize into crystalline lamellar structures (Figure 1a).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The degree of self-assembly of DSA&lt;sup&gt;2+&lt;/sup&gt; can be tuned by varying the concentration and nature of its counterion. Highly polarized and weakly hydrated ions such as I&lt;sup&gt;−&lt;/sup&gt; and PF&lt;sub&gt;6&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;−&lt;/sup&gt; promote aggregate formation more effectively than charge-dense and hydrated ones like Cl&lt;sup&gt;−&lt;/sup&gt;, Br&lt;sup&gt;−&lt;/sup&gt;, and NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;−&lt;/sup&gt; (Figure 1b). Notably, the same trend is reflected in the photophysical and functional properties of the aggregates. Indeed, by changing the counterion from PF&lt;sub&gt;6&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;−&lt;/sup&gt; to Cl&lt;sup&gt;−&lt;/sup&gt;, the fluorescence quantum yield (&lt;i&gt;Φ&lt;sub&gt;FL&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/i&gt;) drops from 6.9% to less than 1.1%. This corresponds to the AIE behavior of DSA&lt;sup&gt;2+&lt;/sup&gt;, where rigidification due to self-assembly suppresses non-radiative decays, thereby leading to longer-lived excited states and enhanced &lt;i&gt;Φ&lt;sub&gt;FL&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Furthermore, DSA&lt;sup&gt;2+&lt;/sup&gt; aggreg","PeriodicalId":72127,"journal":{"name":"Aggregate (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agt2.70392","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148386431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Defensin-DNA Supramolecular Complexes as a New pH-Sensing Nanomaterial","authors":"Scott A. Williams,&nbsp;Serenay B. Demir,&nbsp;Dilara C. Ozkocak,&nbsp;Michael A. Harris,&nbsp;Ira Ghosh,&nbsp;Matthew J. A. Hein,&nbsp;Stephanie F. Rutter,&nbsp;Gavan J. Francis,&nbsp;Christine J. Hawkins,&nbsp;Ivan K. H. Poon,&nbsp;Thanh Kha Phan,&nbsp;Nicholas P. Reynolds,&nbsp;Adam Mechler,&nbsp;Kazuhide S. Okuda,&nbsp;Marc Kvansakul,&nbsp;Mark D. Hulett","doi":"10.1002/agt2.70385","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/agt2.70385","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Defensins are a diverse class of host defence peptides (HDPs) that harbour both direct antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities. These cysteine-rich HDPs are ubiquitously expressed throughout nature; however, they are classified into two evolutionarily independent superfamilies based on their ancestral lineage: the <i>cis-</i>defensins (expressed by plants, fungi and invertebrates) and <i>trans-</i>defensins (expressed by vertebrates and some invertebrates). A conserved attribute amongst defensins belonging to both the <i>cis</i>- and <i>trans-</i>superfamilies is the ability to self-assemble into multimeric complexes when interacting directly with target pathogens. These oligomeric complexes vary greatly in morphology and the required complementary ligands, ranging from phospholipid-induced fibrils to bacteria-ensnaring nanonets. This study now reports that the saltwater crocodile defensin CpoBD13 can bind short sequences of single-stranded and double-stranded DNA to form supramolecular spherical oligomeric complexes. These complexes, named defensin-induced spherical complexes (DISCs), form in a pH-sensitive and reversible process, whereby the complexes assemble in acidic conditions and disassemble when the pH is basic. This innate ability of CpoBD13 DISCs to disassemble upon a change in pH was used to pH-dependently release captured doxorubicin to induce cell death in osteosarcoma KRIB cells, demonstrating proof of concept for the potential use of DISCs as a bioactive pH-sensing nanomaterial. Furthermore, mutagenesis of CpoBD13 (H21R/H35R) generated DISCs that remained stable for at least 3 h <i>in vivo</i> within the vasculature of zebrafish embryos and retained morphological characteristics comparable to the wild-type, underscoring the potential of protein engineering to enhance DISC stability.</p>","PeriodicalId":72127,"journal":{"name":"Aggregate (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/agt2.70385","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148237719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}