Aggregation-induced Emission ― Materials and Applications

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) stands for an intriguing phenomenon in which a series of non-emissive molecules in solutions are induced to emit strongly in the aggregate or solid state. The concept of AIE was first coined by author Ben Zhong Tang in 2001, when he and his co-workers serendipitously discovered that 1-methyl-1,2,3,4,5-pentaphenylsilole was almost non-emissive in ethanol solution but became extremely bright in water-ethanol mixtures.

Over the past 15 years, AIE has grown into a research field with high visibility and broad impact across both science and technology. Aggregation-Induced Emission: Materials and Applications summarizes the recent advances in AIE research, ranging from fundamentals, such as design, synthesis, and optical properties of AIE-active molecules, to mechanism studies supported by modeling and experimental investigations, and further to promising applications in the fields of energy, environment, and biology. Because of the large amount of excellent research, the contents have to be divided into two volumes, with Volume 1 focusing on materials and Volume 2 placing greater emphasis on applications.

The topics covered in Volume 1 include: New mechanisms and theoretical understanding of AIE phenomena; Vibration-induced emission; The art of restriction of molecular rotation; Domino synthesis of AIE molecules; Small molecule AIE systems; and Mechanochromic AIE materials.

Michiya Fujiki has been a Professor at the Graduate School of Materials Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan since 2002. Previously, he worked for the research and development division of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) Corporation from 1978 to 2002.

Bin Liu is the Dean's Chair Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore. Her research focuses on the development of organic nanomaterials with explorations on their sensing, imaging, and device applications. She has received many prestigious awards and was named among The World's Most Influential Minds by Thomson Reuters. Dr. Liu is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Ben Zhong Tang is Chair Professor in the Department of Chemistry and the Division of Biomedical Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology. He is interested in polymer chemistry, materials science, and biomedical engineering. He has been listed as one of the most cited researchers in the areas of both chemistry and materials science. Dr. Tang was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of Chemistry.