Recent advances of aggregation-induced emission materials for fluorescence image-guided surgery

Real-time intraoperative guidance is essential during various surgical treatment of many diseases. Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) materials have shown great potential for guiding surgeons during complex interventions, with the merits of deep tissue penetration, high quantum yield, high molar absorptivity, low background, good targeting ability and excellent photostability. Herein, we provided insights to design efficient AIE materials regarding three key parameters, i.e., deep-tissue penetration ability, high brightness of AIE luminogens (AIEgens), and precise tumor/other pathology nidus targeting strategies, for realizing better application of fluorescence image-guided surgery. Representative interdisciplinary achievements were outlined for the demonstration of this emerging field. Challenges and future opportunities of AIE materials were briefly discussed. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive view of AIE materials for intraoperative guidance for researchers and surgeons, and to inspire more further correlational studies in the new frontiers of image-guided surgery.