A planar electronic acceptor motif contributing to NIR-II AIEgen with combined imaging and therapeutic applications.

Designing molecules with donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) architecture plays an important role in obtaining second near-infrared region (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) fluorescent dyes for biomedical applications; however, this always comes with a challenge due to very limited electronic acceptors. On the other hand, to endow NIR-II fluorescent dyes with combined therapeutic applications, trivial molecular design is indispensable. Herein, we propose a pyrazine-based planar electronic acceptor with a strong electron affinity, which can be used to develop NIR-II fluorescent dyes.

Engineering Isomeric AIEgens Containing Tetraphenylpyrazine for Dual Memory Storage.

Tetraphenylpyrazine (TPP) is a promising heterocycle-based aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen) which has sparked multiple applications in organic light-emitting diodes, sensors, and biotherapy. However, the utility of it in developing information storage materials is relatively rare. Moreover, TPP is mostly employed as an electronic acceptor in molecular design, while the consideration of it as an electronic donor is attractive in studies which may provide a full understanding of its property to tailor the materials.

Type I Photosensitization with Strong Hydroxyl Radical Generation in NIR Dye Boosted by Vigorous Intramolecular Motions for Synergistic Therapy.

Development of type I photosensitizers (PSs) with strong hydroxyl radical ( OH) formation is particularly important in the anaerobic tumor treatment. On the other hand, it is challenging to obtain an efficient solid-state intramolecular motion to promote the development of molecular machine and molecular motor. However, the relationship between them is never revealed.

Facile Access to Far-Red Fluorescent Probes with Through-Space Charge-Transfer Effects for In Vivo Two-Photon Microscopy of the Mouse Cerebrovascular System.

Much effort has been devoted to the generation of fluorescent probes by synthetic approaches. In this study, we developed a facile strategy to construct far-red fluorescent probes based on through-space charge transfer within complexes of acceptors and donors and their "twist+twist" interactions. Owing to their rare two-photon excitation property, the complexes could be used for in vivo imaging of the mouse cerebrovascular system.