Recent advances in photofunctional polymorphs of molecular materials

Recently, molecule-based luminescent materials have been drawing extensive attention due to their desirable properties and promising applications in the fields of sensors, lighting display, and cell imaging. Crystalline polymorph is an intriguing phenomenon that the presence of multiple packing and aggregate architectures of the same molecular system. The studies on polymorphs for molecule-based fluorophores provide the opportunities to adjust the mode of molecular packing and photophysical properties, which will help to illustrate the structure-property relationship. In this review, we focus on the recent progress in various feasible methods of molecule-based crystalline polymorphism growth and their adjustable photofunctional properties, which will open up possibilities of variant optical applications. Firstly, several effective ways to prepare and screen polymorphs are sorted out. And then, we discuss the discrepant properties and multifunctional applications (such as sensors, laser, and OFET, etc.). Finally, the development trends and future prospects of these polymorphs are also briefly introduced.