Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2027, 753, 142031. 

Natural polysaccharides possess intrinsic clustering-triggered emission (CTE) ability, yet their fluorescence is quenched in a hydrogel system because of water-mediated non-radiative relaxation. Herein, we report a polysaccharide-based eutectogel system with significantly enhanced CTE by integrating polysaccharides into a polyacrylamide/deep eutectic solvent (DES) network. Polysaccharide chains can act as both heteroatom-rich clusterization promoters and "reinforcing bars" of eutectogel network, leading to a 3-4-fold fluorescence enhancement relative to polysaccharide-free controls. This dual role is evidenced by viscoelastic, elastoplastic, and structural analyses, and the universality of polysaccharide-induced CTE enhancement is verified by changing polysaccharide types (non-ionic, positively and negatively charged polysaccharides). The as-developed eutectogel can find its application in the food field: as a fluorescent indicator for visual monitoring of meat and fruit spoilage and as a smart label for dual-mode information encryption. This work proposes a potential way of expanding the application scenarios of eutectogel-based multifunctional materials by leveraging the intrinsic CTE ability of polysaccharides together with their network-reinforcing effect.

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