Aggregation-induced emission active luminescent polymeric nanofibers: From design, synthesis, fluorescent mechanism to applications

Aggregation induced emission (AIE) organic luminescent materials have attracted extensive attention in many fields because of their unique properties. AIEgens have outstanding advantages such as high transmission efficiency, good signal amplification effect, good processability and multi-function. Nanofibers have the advantages of small pore size, large specific surface area and rich structure. They can be grafted with different functional substances or functional groups. Nanofibers combined with AIEgens have been widely used in sensors, environmental monitoring, bioanalysis, drug delivery, disease treatment and cell imaging. They have the advantages of good luminescence performance, high efficiency, good light stability, good biocompatibility and strong optical non-linearity. This article reviews the research progress in this field in recent years. The design and synthesis of AIEgens and AIE polymers, the luminescence mechanism of AIE, the preparation, advantages and importance of AIEgens-based nanofibers and their applications in biomedical therapy, drug delivery, sensors and cell imaging are summarized. Finally, the future development direction of nanofibers based on AIEgens is prospected. It is hoped that this review will provide an opportunity to promote the development of AIEgen based nanofibers in the future.