AIE polymers: Synthesis and applications

Organic luminescent materials with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) feature have attracted great attention in various fields because of their unique properties. Compared to the well studied low-mass AIE luminogens, AIE polymers have been paid less attention even though they present outstanding advantages of high emission efficiency in aggregate and solid states, amplification effect of the signals, good processability and multiple functionalization, etc. This review briefly summarizes the synthetic strategies towards AIE polymers based on one-, two- and multi-component polymerizations. Afterward, the structure-property relationship, such as the effect of the skeleton and side-chains on the photophysical property is discussed. More importantly, nonconventional luminescent polymers and their mechanisms are specially introduced. Furthermore, the high-tech applications of AIE polymers in optoelectronic devices, chemo-/biosensors and biomedicine are illustrated. Finally, the perspectives on the future development direction of AIE polymers are briefly discussed. It is hoped that this review can serve as a trigger for future innovation in AIE research.