Affiliation:
1. Shenzhen University College of Materials Science and Engineering NO. 1066, Xueyuan Avenue, Nanshan District 518000 Shenzhen CHINA
2. Shenzhen University College of Materials Science and Engineering CHINA
3. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Department of Chemistry CHINA
4. The Chinese University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen School of Science and Engineering NO. 2001, Longxiang Avenue, Longgang District Shenzhen CHINA
Abstract
Pathogenic infectious diseases have persistently posed significant threats to public health. Phototheranostics, which combines the functions of diagnostic imaging and therapy, presents an extremely promising solution to block the spread of pathogens as well as the outbreak of epidemics owing to its merits of a wide‐spectrum of activity, high controllability, non‐invasiveness, and difficult to acquire resistance. Among multifarious phototheranostic agents, second near‐infrared (NIR‐II, 1000–1700 nm) aggregation‐induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) are notable by virtue of their deep penetration depth, excellent biocompatibility, balanced radiative and nonradiative decay and aggregation‐enhanced theranostic performance, making them an ideal option for combating pathogens. This minireview provides a systematical summary of the latest advancements in NIR‐II AIEgens with emphasis on the molecular design and nanoplatform formulation to fulfill high‐efficiency in treating bacterial and viral pathogens, classified by disease models. Then, the current challenges, potential opportunities, and future research directions are presented to facilitate the further progress of this emerging field.