Recent Advances in Application of Circularly Polarized Luminescence Probes toward Bioimaging Technology

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) refers to the differential emission of left- and right-handed circularly polarized light in chiral materials, exhibiting significant potential for applications in bioimaging. The introduction of CPL can effectively eliminate the background autofluorescence interference, thereby enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio and resolution. Furthermore, CPL probes serve as robust detection tools capable of directly identifying the unique optical fingerprint information on the chiral targets, enabling real-time dynamic tracking of species within organisms, thus facilitating higher-dimensional bioimaging. Recently, a new series of CPL probes has been developed for cellular and in vivo imaging. This review summarizes the research progress of various CPL probes designed for efficient bioimaging, including CPL-active lanthanide metal complexes, small molecules, and nanomaterials. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and future prospects of these CPL probes in the field of bioimaging.