Chem. J. Chinese Universities

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Cutting-edge Advances in Raman Imaging Technology and Its Interdisciplinary Research with Aggregate Science

LI Yuting, LUO Liang   

  1. College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
  • Received:2026-01-01 Revised:2026-01-31 Online First:2026-02-22 Published:2026-02-22
  • Contact: Liang Luo
  • Supported by:
    Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52325304)

Abstract: Raman imaging, as a molecular spectroscopy technique, has been widely studied and applied in research fields such as life sciences and food safety due to its excellent specificity and high resolution. However, its development still faces challenges such as weak signals, slow acquisition speed, and insufficient penetration depth. In recent years, the rapid development of aggregate science has provided new insights for addressing these limitations. Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) materials exhibit enhanced signals in the aggregated state, which may compensate for the inherent weak Raman signals. This article reviews the cutting-edge progress of Raman imaging technology and its current status in cross-disciplinary research with aggregate science, emphasizing the strategy of constructing AIE-Raman dual-responsive probes through molecular engineering to achieve functional complementarity between fluorescence localization and Raman quantification, thereby significantly improving detection sensitivity and specificity. These probes have demonstrated single-cell resolution and high spatiotemporal accuracy in applications such as tumor surgical navigation, diagnosis and treatment of drug-resistant bacteria, and dynamic monitoring of organelles. We also analyze the bottlenecks remained in this field, such as biological safety and the complexity of molecular design, and outlook the future development directions, including intelligent responsive probes, artificial intelligence-assisted analysis, and multimodal fusion platforms. The integration of Raman imaging and AIE sheds a new light on the breakthrough in the field of medical imaging.

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