AIEgens based on main group heterocycles

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is an intriguing and significant photophysical phenomenon currently attracting intense research interest. Different from conventional luminophores suffering from the commonly acknowledged aggregation-caused quenching problem, luminogens with AIE characteristics (AIEgens) are more promising to be applied to various research fronts. In the family of AIEgens, those created based on main group heterocycles are diverse in functionality owing to their unique electronic structures and thus distinctive optoelectronic processes. In this review article, the newly emerging AIEgens based on heterocycles of silicon, sulphur, oxygen, phosphorus, nitrogen, boron, etc., are introduced, and their intrinsic working mechanism and substituent effect are elucidated in detail. These insights and systematical elucidation of the correlation between structure and function are of great significance for fundamental understanding, and are surely conducive to the design of new AIEgens and the exploration of efficient AIE-active functional materials with specific applications.