Synthesis of Imidazole-Based AIEgens with Wide Color Tunability and Exploration of their Biological Applications

Research on aggregation-induced emission (AIE) has become increasingly popular recently and various AIE luminogens (AIEgens) have been developed based on tetraphenylethene, hexaphenylsilole, distyrylanthracene, tetraphenylpyrazine, etc. However, facile tuning of the AIEgen emissions in a wide range remains challenging. Herein, a novel series of AIEgens is reported, based on imidazole-cored molecular rotors, with facile synthesis and emission colors covering the whole visible spectrum. Moreover, these imidazole derivatives exhibit biological functions unique among the AIEgens, including mitochondria-specific imaging and antifungal activity. Benefiting from the easy preparation and the tunable emission, the imidazole derivatives are expected to not only diversify the family of AIEgens but also enrich their biological applications.