Synthesis of Imidazole‐Based AIEgens with Wide Color Tunability and Exploration of their Biological Applications |
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| Authors: | Zhegang Song Weijie Zhang Meijuan Jiang Herman H Y Sung Ryan T K Kwok Han Nie Ian D Williams Bin Liu Ben Zhong Tang |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Study, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience and Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China;2. Guangdong Innovative Research Team, SCUT‐HKUST Joint Research Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China;3. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore;4. HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, No. 9 Yuexing First RD, South Area, Hi‐Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China |
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| Abstract: | Research on aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) has become increasingly popular recently and various AIE luminogens (AIEgens) have been developed based on tetraphenylethene, hexaphenylsilole, distyrylanthracene, tetraphenylpyrazine, etc. However, facile tuning of the AIEgen emissions in a wide range remains challenging. Herein, a novel series of AIEgens is reported, based on imidazole‐cored molecular rotors, with facile synthesis and emission colors covering the whole visible spectrum. Moreover, these imidazole derivatives exhibit biological functions unique among the AIEgens, including mitochondria‐specific imaging and antifungal activity. Benefiting from the easy preparation and the tunable emission, the imidazole derivatives are expected to not only diversify the family of AIEgens but also enrich their biological applications. |
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| Keywords: | aggregation‐induced emission antifungal imidazoles mitochondria targeting |
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