Recent progress of fluorescent gels: construction and application

Fluorescent gels are materials based on three-dimensional network structures, where fluorophores can be introduced into the gel networks through non-covalent or covalent interactions. This class of materials possesses unique properties derived from the gel structure, as well as specific light-emitting properties resulted from the fluorophores. Moreover, benefiting from the environmental sensitivity of fluorophores, the fluorescence behaviors of gels can be well tuned through environmental stimuli such as pH, light, temperature, and ionic strength. These properties make fluorescent gels potential in various areas including informatics, biomedicine, diagnosis, sensors, and so on. This review will first summarize the basic mechanism of fluorescence behaviors, and then outline the strategies to construct fluorescent gels as well as their associated applications. Furthermore, the current challenges and future prospects of fluorescent gels will also be recapitulated. This review is supposed to be appealing to scientists interested in fluorescent gels and other novel fluorescent materials.