Cyanostilbene-based intelligent organic optoelectronic materials

pi-Conjugated organic luminophores are one of the essential ingredients for modern optoelectronics. This short review highlights recent research progress on a type of smart pi-conjugated systems based on cyanostilbene and its derivatives, in which their photophysical properties can be tuned in response to a variety of external stimuli (e.g. polarity, viscosity, pH, light and thermal changes). To take advantage of the unique tunable features, cyanostilbene and its derivatives have been implanted into polymers, sol-gel systems, solid films, supramolecular architectures, functional nanoparticles, and so on. In addition to discussing the preparation and characterization of cyanostilbene-based hybrid materials, this review highlights their charming functionalities, such as AIEE (aggregation-induced enhanced emission) effect, solid-state emission, photochromism, photovoltaics, and biological imaging. Future studies on the applications of cyanostilbene-based intelligent materials are also predicted. The blossoming of cyanostilbene-based intelligent hybrids promises a new generation of integrated multifunctional materials, an outcome which is essential for the development of responsive materials that interface with physics, materials chemistry, biology, and medical science.