AIE-based luminescence probes for metal ion detection

The past two decades have witnessed significant advances in the field of aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Luminescent materials with AIE characteristics (AIEgens) are of great importance because they can show enhanced and improved properties for different high-tech applications. Metal ions are vital for all living species. In the recent years, the AIE platform has been widely adopted in the design and synthesis of metal ion-responsive luminescent probes because of its excellent photophysical properties such as microenvironment sensitivity, high signal-to-noise ratio, high photostability, high emission efficiency in the aggregated state, and large Stokes’ shift. In this review, we present an overview of the design principles of metal ion responsive AIEgens that can be generated using a modular approach. We have summarized the typical examples of metal ion responsive AIEgens, and their sensing mechanisms developed from 2005 to 2020.