This Review provides a comprehensive analysis of recent development in the field of aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active tetraphenylethylene (TPE) luminophores and their applications in biomolecular science. It begins with a discussion of the diverse range of structural motifs that have found particular applications in sensing, and demonstrates that TPE structures and their derivatives have been used for a diverse range of analytes such as such as H, anions, cations, heavy metals, organic volatiles, and toxic gases. Advances are discussed in depth where TPE is utilized as a mechanoluminescent material in bioinspired receptor units with specificity for analytes for such as glucose or RNA. The rapid advances in sensor research make this summary of recent developments in AIE-active TPE luminophores timely, in order to disseminate the advantages of these materials for sensing of analytes in solution, as well as the importance of solid and aggregated states in controlling sensing behavior.

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The induction and development of chiral supramolecular structures from hierarchical self-assembly of achiral compounds is closely related to the evolution of life and the chiral amplification found in nature. Here we show that the combination of achiral tetraphenylethene (TPE) an AIE-active luminophore bearing four long alkyl chains via amide linkage allows the entire process of induction and control of supramolecular chirality into well-defined uniform right-handed twisted superstructures via solvent composition and polarity, i.e. solvophobic effect. We showed that the degree of twist and the pitch of the ribbons can be controlled to one-handed helical structure via solvophobic effects. The twisted superstructure assembly was visualised by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), furthermore, circular dichroism (CD) confirms used to determine controlled right-handed assembly. This controlled assembly of an AIE-active molecule can be of practical value; for example, as templates for helical crystallisation, catalysis and a chiral mechanochromic luminescent superstructure formation.

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