Molecules and Linear Polymers With Incorporated Pillar[5]Arene Units: Enhanced Aggregation‐Induced Emission and Their Applications

Pillar[n]arenes are a class of special macrocyclic compounds with rigid and porous structures, representing an important branch of host macrocycles in the field of supramolecular chemistry. Since their discovery in 2008, pillar[n]arenes have been in-depth applied in the field of biomedicine, such as molecular recognition, bio-imaging, and tumor detection, due to the enhancement of fluorescent signal when combining with chromophores. Over the past decade, many pillar[n]arene units-incorporated polymers have been synthesized and served as ideal polymer hosts for the enhancement of luminescent performance of applied to enhance aggregation-induced emission (AIE) performance. Driven by researchers' keen exploration of pillararene polymers for AIE enhancement, this review will elaborate on the AIE-enhancing effects of pillararenes from two aspects: pillararene-containing monomers and pillararene-containing linear polymers. It also introduces the synthesis methods of pillararenes and the principles underlying their AIE-enhancing effects. Additionally, their applications in areas such as fluorescent sensing and artificial light-harvesting systems are presented. Finally, the current challenges and prospects of pillararenes are discussed.