AIE Luminogens for Visualizing Cell Structures and Functions

Organic fluorogens with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics have demonstrated their potential to be ideal candidates for live cell imaging. Opposite to conventional organic dyes, the AIE luminogens are nonluminescent when molecularly dissolved but highly emissive upon aggregation. As small molecules, the AIE luminogens normally enter cells through diffusion, accumulate in the target location, and generate light emission. Inherently, they possess large Stokes shift with appreciable brightness and they are resistant to photobleaching, owing to the formation of aggregates inside the cells. The utilization of AIE dyes for visualizing the structures and dynamics of subcellular organelles such as mitochondria, lysosomes, and lipid droplets and for monitoring cell functions such as intracellular pH and viscosity will be discussed in this chapter.