A novel furo[3,2-c]pyridine-based AIE photosensitizer for specific imaging and photodynamic ablation of Gram-positive bacteria

An Rh-catalyzed tandem reaction was performed to construct an AIE-active furo[2,3-c]pyridine-based photosensitizer, named LIQ-TF. LIQ-TF showed near-infrared emission with high quantum yield, and high O-1(2) and (OH)-O-center dot generation efficiency, and could be used for specific imaging and photodynamic ablation of Gram-positive bacteria in vitro and in vivo, showing great potential for combating multiple drug-resistant bacteria.