Design and Property Modulation of Metal–Organic Frameworks with Aggregation-Induced Emission

Fluorogens with aggregation-induced emission (AIEgens) are a unique type of luminescent materials for sensing and imaging applications. The integration of AIE characteristics into metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) structure is an emerging research field that has greatly advanced the optical properties of MOFs. This Review mainly focuses on the development of AIE MOFs with highlights on materials development and their applications in analytical and biomedical fields. The first part discusses the structure design for AIE MOF from the perspective of linkers, metal nodes, and heterogeneous composites. The second part summarizes the major mechanisms on the property modulation of AIE MOFs in response to different stimuli based on fluorescence quenching, in-situ restriction of intramolecular motion, and framework deformation switches. The outlook elaborates on the potential of AIE MOFs, which have opened a new dimension in luminescent material development.