J‐aggregation strategy of organic dyes for near‐infrared bioimaging and fluorescent image‐guided phototherapy

Abstract With the continuous development of organic materials for optoelectronic devices and biological applications, J‐aggregation has attracted a great deal of interest in both dye chemistry and supramolecular chemistry. Except for the characteristic red‐shifted absorption and emission, such ordered head‐to‐tail stacked structures may be accompanied by special properties such as enhanced absorption, narrowed spectral bandwidth, improved photothermal and photodynamic properties, aggregation‐induced emission enhancement (AIEE) phenomenon, and so forth. These excellent properties add great potential to J‐aggregates for optical imaging and phototherapy in the near‐infrared (NIR) region. Despite decades of development, the challenge of rationally designing the molecular structure to adjust intermolecular forces to induce J‐aggregation of organic dyes remains significant. In this review, we discuss the formation of J‐aggregates in terms of intermolecular interactions and summarize some recent studies on J‐aggregation dyes for NIR imaging and phototherapy, to provide a clear direction and reference for designing J‐aggregates of near‐infrared organic dyes to better enable biological applications. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease