Manipulating Aggregation-Induced Emission with Supramolecular Macrocycles

Two essential elements of smart materials are their capabilities of responding to external stimuli and the specific recognition toward different targets, which renders supramolecular macrocycles an ideal type of building blocks for materials construction. Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) has been intensively investigated for two decades not only for the realization of solid-state fluorescent materials, but also for the fabrication of numerous functional luminescent materials for diverse applications. The discrepancy among aggregation states of AIE-active molecules would bear a big influence on the emission pattern; hence, manipulation of the assembly and control of the morphologies of materials with reversibility are of great importance and should be achievable via the incorporation of macrocyclic elements into AIE systems. In this review, the marriage of AIE and supramolecular macrocyclic chemistry is introduced, leading to smart functional materials with unique fluorescent properties, such as supramolecular polymers, supramolecular nanoparticles, and host-guest complexes on surfaces. Their diverse applications are discussed and perspective on this emerging research direction is also provided.