LAUSR

As a type of important non‐covalent interactions that can efficiently prohibit π–π interaction to avoid quenching of luminescence, anion–π interactions are receiving growing attention for the fabrication of aggregation‐induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) since 2017. The obtained anion–π type AIEgens can be applied in the fields of wash‐free bioimaging and long‐term tracking of subcellular organelle, photodynamic anti‐cancer and anti‐bacterial therapy due to their good water solubility, superior photostability and excellent reactive oxygen species generation ability. Moreover, anion–π type AIEgens were also further constructed for room temperature phosphorescence by taking advantages of the heavy‐atom participated anion–π interactions. This concept article provides a brief summary of this field, mainly focusing on the design strategy, photophysical properties and applications of anion–π type AIEgens.