Chem. J. Chinese Universities ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (5): 20260042.doi: 10.7503/cjcu20260042

• Review • Previous Articles     Next Articles

From Protogenesis to Functionalization: Luminescence, Modification and Application of AIE⁃active Natural Products

YIN Shiqi1, ZHENG Zhigang1, HE Xintong1, WANG Shimin1, GU Xinggui2(), WANG Erjing1()   

  1. 1.Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials,Ministry of Education,Hubei Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials,School of Materials Science and Engineering,Hubei University,Wuhan 430415,China
    2.Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering,College of Materials Science and Engineering,Beijing University of Chemical Technology,Beijing 100029,China
  • Received:2026-01-21 Online:2026-05-10 Published:2026-03-10
  • Contact: GU Xinggui E-mail:guxinggui@mail.buct.edu.cn;wangej@hubu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52073082);the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51603063);the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52173154)

Abstract:

Aggregation-induced emission(AIE) has been evolved into an emerging scientific field pioneered by Chinese scientists and now attracting extensive interest worldwide, with the development of AIE study for more than twenty years. With the increasing depletion of global fossil energy, there is a growing demand for AIE materials derived from natural products and an urgent need for their efficient utilization, exemplified by the increasing attention on bioresource-based aggregation-induced emission luminogens(BioAIEgens) due to their merits of wide raw material resources, low cost, high biocompatibility and great diversity. These BioAIEgens materials have been used in study of chemosensing, bioimaging, food inspection, tumor theranostics, etc. However, most BioAIEgens still face the challenges of hard modification, low luminescence efficiency, limited functionalization, insufficient utilization, and limited application sites. In the review, the AIE mechanism behind is outlined. According to the classifications of alkaloids, flavonoids, coumarins and terpenoids, the luminescence properties and structural modifications of recently reported BioAIEgens are analyzed and summarized. And the luminescence mechanism and applications of these materials are discussed. It is hoped that this review could provide insights for the future development of novel efficient BioAIEgens.

Key words: Aggregation-induced emission, Restriction of intramolecular motions, Natural compound, Functiona-lization

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