An AIE-active type I photosensitizer based on N,N′-diphenyl-dihydrophenazine for high-performance photodynamic therapy under hypoxia

An AIE-active type I photosensitizer DMPpy based on DHP was developed to efficiently generate superoxide anion radical (O 2 − ˙) for overcoming the hypoxic dilemma in solid tumors with NIR emission (∼700 nm), large Stokes shifts (∼270 nm) and mitochondrial targeting ability.