Research progress on AIE cyanostilbene-based self-assembly gels: Design, regulation and applications

This review summarizes the AIE self-assembly gel research progresses on cyanostibene derivatives made in the past decade with an emphasis on the regulation and their applications in different fields. • The advances of AIE self-assembly gel based cyanostibene derivatives. • The design strategies and the regulation of self-assembly process of gel systems. • The diverse application of AIE self-assembly gel based cyanostibene derivatives. • The challenges and outlook in AIE self-assembly gel based cyanostibene derivatives. Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is attracting enormous attention due to the immense potential practical application of luminescent materials in the solid state. Cyanostilbene derivatives are a kind of desired AIE fluorophore with advantages of photostability and thermostability, distinguished fluorescence quantum yields and adjustable emission wavelengths. Cyanostilbene derivatives with AIE behaviour can be combined with self-assembly gels, to achieve advantages the complementary advantages of the two materials. In this review, we summarized the sate-of-the-art progress of supramolecular gel based on cyanostilbene derivatives, as well as their applications in the regulation of self-assembly process and emission behaviour, multifunctional sensor, photoresponsive materials, circularly polarized luminescence and biological fields. A brief summary and outlook on cyanostilbene-based supramolecular self-assembly materials are also included.