title: Salt-responsive self-assembly of luminescent hydrogel with intrinsic gelation-enhanced emission.
abstract: Tetraphenylethylene (TPE), an archetypal luminogen with aggregation-induced emission (AIE), was grafted to a salt-responsive peptide to yield a yet luminescent hydrogelator. After testing different parameters, we found that only in the presence of salt rather than temperature, pH, and solvent, did the monodisperse hydrogelators self-assemble into a hydrogel network with bright emission turned on. The induced luminescence was a dynamic change and enabled real time monitoring of hydrogel formation. Grating AIE molecules to stimuli-responsive peptides is a promising approach for the development of self-revealing soft materials for biological applications.
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology , No. 11 Beiyitiao, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Chunqiu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiangdong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shuaidong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huo
authors.forename: Yonggang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Wei-Qiang
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Guozhang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Xing-Jie
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D005030:Ethylenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000737:chemistry*; D049449:Luminescence; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005030:Ethylenes; D010455:Peptides; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D012965:Sodium Chloride; C036216:ethylene