Salt-responsive self-assembly of luminescent hydrogel with intrinsic gelation-enhanced emission

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.