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.