Aggregation-Induced Emission: Commemorative Issue in Honor of Professor Ben Zhong Tang’s Research Achievements on the Occasion of His 60th Birthday

Dear Colleagues,

In 2001, Professor Ben Zhong Tang’s group discovered an uncommon luminogen system, in which aggregation worked constructively, rather than destructively as in the conventional systems. They found that a series of silole derivatives were non-emissive in dilute solutions but became highly luminescent when their molecules were aggregated in concentrated solutions or cast into solid films. Since the light emission was induced by aggregate formation, Professor Tang termed the process “aggregation-induced emission” (AIE). AIE is a novel photophysical phenomenon, which offers a new platform for researchers to look into the light-emitting processes from luminogen aggregates, from which useful information on structure-property relationships may be collected and mechanistic insights may be gained. The discovery of the AIE effect opens a new avenue for the development of new luminogen materials in the aggregate or solid state. By enabling light emission in the practically useful solid state, AIE has already demonstrated the significances in the technological applications of luminescent materials.

Our journal is pleased to be publishing a commemorative issue in honor of Professor Ben Zhong Tang for his outstanding research contributions on “Aggregation-induced emission”.

Ben Zhong Tang is Stephen K. C. Cheong Professor of Science and Chair Professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).  His research interests include macromolecular chemistry, materials science, and biomedical theranostics. Professor Tang received B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from South China University of Technology and Kyoto University, respectively. He conducted postdoctoral research at University of Toronto. He joined HKUST as an assistant professor in 1994 and was promoted to chair professor in 2008. He was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (MCAS) and Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in 2009 and 2013, respectively.

Professor Tang has published over 800 papers. His publications have been cited over 30,000 times by peers, with an h-index of 98. He has been listed by Thomson Reuters as a Highly Cited Researcher in both areas of Chemistry and Materials Science in 2014 and 2015. He received a Natural Science Award from the Chinese Government and a Senior Research Fellowship from the Croucher Foundation in 2007. He is serving as Editor-in-Chief of Materials Chemistry Frontiers (RSC).

In honor of Professor Tang’s outstanding career achievements on the occasion of his 60th birthday in 2017, this commemorative issue of Molecules welcomes submission of previously unpublished manuscripts from original work or reviews on “Aggregation-induced emission”. We plan to receive submissions from 1 October 2016 to 31 July 2017 and manuscripts will be published online on an ongoing basis after being processed.

Dr. Youhong Tang
Guest Editor

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