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Photochem
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Photochemistry Directed Applications of Organic Fluorescent Materials
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Photochemistry Directed Applications of Organic Fluorescent Materials

A special issue of Photochem (ISSN 2673-7256).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 7286

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Chengyuan Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Anhui University, 111 Jiulong Road, Hefei 230601, China
Interests: organic functional materials; organic fluorescent materials; organic photothermal conversion materials; photochemistry photophysics; piezochromism; photothermal conversion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Organic fluorescent materials have attracted a lot of research interests due to their easy accessibility and modification. The study of organic fluorescent materials primarily focuses on their luminescent properties in solutions rather than in the aggregated state, due to the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) or trap-controlled quenching (TCQ). A significant breakthrough was achieved in 2001, when strongly emissive organic fluorescent materials in the aggregated state were developed, which were termed aggregation-induced-emission (AIE) materials. Recently, materials exhibiting strong emission profiles in both solution and the aggregated state (dual-state emission—DSE) have been reported. The newly discussed luminescent phenomena have greatly expanded the application scopes of organic fluorescent materials, which go beyond conventional chemical sensors to intelligent sensing, bioimaging, optoelectronics, etc. Naturally, the emissive properties of organic fluorescent materials are highly related to the photochemical or photophysical process, which, in parallel, directs the application scenarios of these materials.

This Special Issue is focused on “Photochemistry Directed Applications of Organic Fluorescent Materials”.

Research and review papers are welcome that are related to, but are not limited to, the following areas:

(1) A deep understanding of the photochemical process of organic fluorescent materials upon photon excitation, as well as the advanced applications associated with them.

(2) Extensive investigation of the photophysical properties of organic fluorescent materials and their relevant applications.

(3) Oganic functional materials, even though no emissive properties are discussed, but because they are highly related to the photochemistry or photophysics-directed applications, i.e., photothermal conversion.

Prof. Dr. Chengyuan Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photochem is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • organic fluorescent materials
  • photochemistry
  • photophysics
  • piezochromism
  • multiple responsive materials
  • sensors
  • intelligent materials
  • bioimaging
  • optoelectronics
  • photothermal conversion

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 2775 KB  
Article
Distinct Piezochromic Properties of Cyanostilbene- and Cyanostyrene-Based Donor–Acceptor–Donor- and Donor–Acceptor-Structured Organic Luminogens
by Ziyang Wang, Miao Yang, Yuxi Chen, Xinyue Yang, Bowen Xie, Xiaoke Duan, Haoyue Shen and Chengyuan Wang
Photochem 2025, 5(4), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/photochem5040036 - 3 Nov 2025
Viewed by 830
Abstract
Organic luminogens (OLs) with piezochromic (PC) properties have attracted significant attention for their varied applications in chemical sensors, organic optoelectronic devices, biological imaging, etc. In this work, we designed and synthesized three donor–acceptor–donor- or donor–acceptor-structured OLs with different donor or acceptor moieties. Their [...] Read more.
Organic luminogens (OLs) with piezochromic (PC) properties have attracted significant attention for their varied applications in chemical sensors, organic optoelectronic devices, biological imaging, etc. In this work, we designed and synthesized three donor–acceptor–donor- or donor–acceptor-structured OLs with different donor or acceptor moieties. Their photophysical properties in both dilute solution and aggregated states were studied through various spectroscopic analytical methods, and their PC properties were investigated under mechanical grinding (MG) conditions. The OLs containing cyanostilbene moiety exhibited a photoemission shift up to ~45 nm after simple grinding, while that was only ~10 nm for cyanostyrene-containing OL. Combined with the powder X-ray diffraction analysis, the incorporation of the cyanostilbene moiety is inferred to play an important role in inducing the apparent PC properties. Our study not only reports novel OLs with good PC properties, but also discusses the structure–property relationships in order to provide guidance for future rational design and the development of novel PC materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photochemistry Directed Applications of Organic Fluorescent Materials)
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13 pages, 1633 KB  
Article
Stimuli-Responsive Luminescence of an Amphiphilic Flavin Derivative via Thermodynamic and Kinetic Aggregation in Water
by Soichiro Kawamorita, Koyo Okamoto, Shufang Huang and Takeshi Naota
Photochem 2025, 5(3), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/photochem5030025 - 8 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1148
Abstract
In this study, we investigated environmentally responsive photoluminescence color changes in water using an amphiphilic flavin derivative (1a) functionalized with an alkylsulfonate group. At low concentrations and room temperature, 1a exhibited a green emission. Upon increasing the concentration, thermodynamically stable micelle-like [...] Read more.
In this study, we investigated environmentally responsive photoluminescence color changes in water using an amphiphilic flavin derivative (1a) functionalized with an alkylsulfonate group. At low concentrations and room temperature, 1a exhibited a green emission. Upon increasing the concentration, thermodynamically stable micelle-like aggregates were formed, leading to a yellow emission. In contrast, under rapid freezing conditions, fibrous aggregates were formed under kinetic control, which also exhibited a yellow emission. These distinct aggregation modes are attributed to the cooperative effects of molecular design: the π-stacking ability of the tricyclic isoalloxazine core, flexible long alkyl chains, and the hydrophilic sulfonate moiety. This work demonstrates photoluminescent color switching based on aggregation-state control of a biogenic and potentially sustainable flavin luminophore, offering a new perspective for designing responsive and sustainable photofunctional materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photochemistry Directed Applications of Organic Fluorescent Materials)
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Review

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47 pages, 4544 KB  
Review
Fluorescence-Based Neurotransmitter Detection: Nanomaterial Engineering and Bioanalytical Advances at the Nano–Neuro Interface
by Pazhani Durgadevi, Koyeli Girigoswami, Chandni Thakkar and Agnishwar Girigoswami
Photochem 2026, 6(2), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/photochem6020014 - 25 Mar 2026
Viewed by 851
Abstract
All forms of neural communications, from cognition to emotion, are regulated by neurotransmitters, which are otherwise the chemical language of the brain. Precise detection of these neurotransmitters is essential for the perception of neurophysiology and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases as well. Among the [...] Read more.
All forms of neural communications, from cognition to emotion, are regulated by neurotransmitters, which are otherwise the chemical language of the brain. Precise detection of these neurotransmitters is essential for the perception of neurophysiology and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases as well. Among the existing techniques for the detection of these molecules, fluorescence sensing is evolving as a powerful approach in terms of high sensitivity, rapid response, and real-time visualization of the chemical events occurring in the neural system. In recent years, nanomaterials have transformed this field by integrating tunable optical properties, excellent photostability, and modifiable surface chemistry into biocompatible nanostructures. We summarize the recent advances of these architectures to show how the material type and dimensionality, as well as the surface functionality, play roles in sensing through the mechanisms of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), photoinduced electron transfer (PET), inner filter effect (IFE), and aggregation-induced emission (AIE). The discussion has also been extended to the correlation of fluorescence modulation with the selectivity and sensitivity in the mechanism-to-function relationship. The potential utility of such innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence, spectral deconvolution analysis via big data algorithms, and chip-integrated sensing, was explored as a means to enable real-time neurochemical detection. This converging area of nanotechnology and neuroscience leaves a mark not just in analytical accuracy, but also parallels human brain rhythms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photochemistry Directed Applications of Organic Fluorescent Materials)
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34 pages, 7715 KB  
Review
Tetraphenylethylene (TPE)-Based AIE Luminogens: Recent Advances in Bioimaging Applications
by Vanam Hariprasad, Kavya S. Keremane, Praveen Naik, Dickson D. Babu and Sunitha M. Shivashankar
Photochem 2025, 5(3), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/photochem5030023 - 4 Sep 2025
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3750
Abstract
Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens are materials that exhibit enhanced light emission in the aggregated state, primarily due to the restriction of intramolecular motions, which reduces energy loss through non-radiative pathways. Tetraphenylethylene (TPE) and its derivatives are prominent examples of AIE-active materials, owing to [...] Read more.
Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens are materials that exhibit enhanced light emission in the aggregated state, primarily due to the restriction of intramolecular motions, which reduces energy loss through non-radiative pathways. Tetraphenylethylene (TPE) and its derivatives are prominent examples of AIE-active materials, owing to their ease of synthesis, tuneable photophysical properties, and strong aggregation tendencies. This review provides an overview of the fundamental AIE mechanisms in TPE-based systems, with a focus on the role of restricted intramolecular rotation (RIR) and π-twisting in governing their emission behaviour. It explores the influence of molecular structure, electronic configuration, and intermolecular interactions on fluorescence properties. Furthermore, recent advances in practical applications of TPE-based AIE luminogens are highlighted across a spectrum of biological imaging domains, including cellular imaging, tissue and in vivo imaging, and organelle-targeted imaging. Additionally, their integration into multifunctional and theranostic platforms, along with the development of stimuli-responsive and self-assembled systems, underscores their versatility and expanding potential in biomedical research and diagnostics. This review aims to offer valuable insights into the design principles and functional potential of TPE-based AIE luminogens, guiding the development of next-generation materials for advanced bioimaging technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photochemistry Directed Applications of Organic Fluorescent Materials)
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