Conjugated Oligoelectrolyte Materials for Biomedical Applications

Conjugated oligoelectrolyte (COEs) materials are composed of conjugated hydrophobic backbones and terminal pendant ionic groups. They usually form electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions with phospholipid bilayers, enabling efficient and spontaneous insertion into lipid bilayers. However, the traditional COEs demonstrated a limited application scope due to the rigid molecular skeletons. In order to alleviate this contradiction, a variety of novel COEs have been developed over the past few years by replacing the luminescent core, optimizing the molecular length, designing topology, and regulating hydrophilic‐hydrophobic balance, etc. In this review, we summarize recent COE developments, as well as their applications in bioimaging, disease diagnosis, and treatment. In addition, we also discuss the challenges for COE designs and future prospects for clinical transformation of COEs, which will promote the design of the next generation of COEs and their applications in biomedicine.