Zwitterionic AIEgens: Rational Molecular Design for NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging-Guided Synergistic Phototherapy

Fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared region (NIR-II) can penetrate tissue at centimeter depths and obtain high fidelity of images. However, facile synthesis of small-molecule fluorescent photosensitizers for efficient NIR-II fluorescence imaging as well as photodynamic and photothermal combinatorial therapies (PDT-PTT) is still a challenging task. Herein, we reported a rational design and facile synthesis protocol for a series of novel NIR-emissive zwitterionic luminogens with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) features for cancer phototheranostics.