Red/NIR-emissive dicyanovinyl-decorated tetraphenylethylenes for biosensing, bioimaging, and biomedical applications

Dicyanovinyl-decorated tetraphenylethylenes (DCV-TPEs), a prominent class of aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens), have attracted increasing attention for their unique red/NIR fluorescence, modular molecular design, and versatile biomedical functionality. In view of the fruitful achievements in this field, this review summarizes advances in the rational design of DCV-TPEs, with an emphasis on donor-acceptor engineering strategies that enable desirable photophysical and biological properties. The contents are organized according to major application areas, including biosensing, bioimaging, photodynamic therapy, and chemotherapy. Representative examples are highlighted to illustrate how DCV-TPEs are tailored for cellular, organelle, and <i>in vivo</i> imaging, as well as for selective therapeutic activation. Particular attention is given to the structure-dependent mechanism of action of DCV-TPEs for activatable detection, <i>in situ</i> tracing molecular events, and precise regulation of cellular processes. Finally, current challenges and future directions are discussed, offering perspectives on the development of next-generation AIE-active multifunctional agents for bioanalytical and biomedical applications.