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Yanmei He. Portrait.

Yanmei He

Postdoctoral fellow

Yanmei He. Portrait.

Bright Near-Infrared-Emitting Organic Nanoparticles Based on Small-Molecule Ionic Isolation Lattices

Author

  • Junsheng Chen
  • Karina Juhl
  • Fuxue Zhang
  • Yanmei He
  • Amar H. Flood
  • Andreas Kjaer
  • Bo W. Laursen

Summary, in English

Near infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging has received significant attention. However, it remains challenging to develop NIR emitters with a high brightness. Herein, we report a supramolecular approach to formulate NIR fluorescent molecular nanoparticles from cationic NIR fluorophores and cyanostar receptors using their charge-by-charge packing in small-molecule ionic isolation lattices (SMILES). Four types of cationic NIR fluorophores were successfully used to form NIR SMILES nanoparticles. The NIR nanoparticles show fluorescence quantum yields (FQYs) of ∼1% and are over 60 times brighter than those of single fluorophores. Four different surface capping agents were examined and found to generate stable nanoparticles with slight changes in FQY. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy reveals the low FQY originates from nonradiative decay introduced by interfluorophore coupling. Introduction of inert molecular cations into the SMILES structures raises the FQY to ∼7%. The NIR SMILES nanoparticles were used for in vivo tumor imaging and are thus promising for bioimaging applications.

Department/s

  • Chemical Physics
  • NanoLund: Centre for Nanoscience
  • LTH Profile Area: Nanoscience and Semiconductor Technology
  • LU Profile Area: Light and Materials
  • LTH Profile Area: Photon Science and Technology

Publishing year

2025-10

Language

English

Pages

19739-19747

Publication/Series

ACS Applied Nano Materials

Volume

8

Issue

41

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

The American Chemical Society (ACS)

Topic

  • Theoretical Chemistry (including Computational Chemistry)

Keywords

  • cyanostar macrocycles
  • fluorescent dyes
  • fluorescent nanoparticles
  • in vivo imaging
  • NIR
  • SMILES

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2574-0970