Semiconducting Polymer Dots with Dual‐Enhanced NIR‐IIa Fluorescence for Through‐Skull Mouse‐Brain Imaging
Abstract
Fluorescence probes in the NIR‐IIa region show drastically improved imaging owing to the reduced photon scattering and autofluorescence in biological tissues. Now, NIR‐IIa polymer dots (Pdots) are developed with a dual fluorescence enhancement mechanism. First, the aggregation induced emission of phenothiazine was used to reduce the nonradiative decay pathways of the polymers in condensed states. Second, fluorescence quenching was minimized by different levels of steric hindrance to further boost the fluorescence. The resulting Pdots displayed a fluorescence QY of ca. 1.7 % in aqueous solution, suggesting an enhancement of ca. 21 times in comparison with the original polymer in tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution. Small‐animal imaging by using the NIR‐IIa Pdots exhibited a remarkable improvement in penetration depth and signal to background ratio, as confirmed by through‐skull and through‐scalp fluorescent imaging of the cerebral vasculature of live mice.
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The synergetic anti-ACQ/AIE effect was pronounced when Pdots were fabricated using CPs with highly bulky DPA anti-ACQ moieties (Φfl = 0.6% in THF, 0.06% after correction, Φfl = 1.7% in Pdots, 0.17% after correction), while the AIE effect was marginal for CPs with nonbulky chains (Φfl = 0.08% in THF, 0.008% after correction, Φfl = 0.1% in Pdots, 0.01% after correction).
“While the AIE effect (i.e., fluorescence brightness change upon particle formation using the CP with nonbulky chains) was marginal (Φfl = 0.08% in THF, 0.008% after correction, Φfl = 0.1% in Pdots, 0.01% after correction), the synergetic anti-ACQ/AIE effect was pronounced when Pdots were fabricated using the CPs with highly bulky DPA anti-ACQ moieties (Φfl = 0.6% in THF, 0.06% after correction, Φf”
From The Pursuit of Shortwave Infrared-Emitting Nanoparticles with Bright Fluorescence through Molecular Design and Excited-State Engineering of Molecular Aggregates (2022) · cites this paper as [190]
Pdots that exhibit both anti-ACQ and AIE effects have been reported.
“Recently, Pdots that exhibit both anti-ACQ and AIE effects have been reported.”
From The Pursuit of Shortwave Infrared-Emitting Nanoparticles with Bright Fluorescence through Molecular Design and Excited-State Engineering of Molecular Aggregates (2022) · cites this paper as [190]
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- Authors
- Zhang, Z., Fang, X., Liu, Z., Liu, H., Chen, D., He, S., Zheng, J., Yang, B., Qin, W., Zhang, X., & Wu, C.
- Affiliations
- Jilin University (CN)
- Southern University of Science and Technology (CN)
- University of Macau (MO)
- Corresponding author
- Wu, Changfeng
- ORCID
- Venue
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2020-01-21
- Volume
- 59
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 3691-3698
- ISSN
- 1433-7851 (ISSN-L)
- 1521-3773
- OpenAlex
- W2994821582
- Cited by
- 242
- References
- 55
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 39 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 34
- FWCI
- 11.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Science, Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality (JCYJ20170307110157501)
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (81771930)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy Techniques
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Spectroscopy › Molecular Sensors and Ion Detection
- Keywords
- semiconducting polymer dots, neuroimaging, aggregation-induced emission, phenothiazines, fluorescence quenching, steric hindrance, fluorescence quantum yield enhancement, cerebral vasculature, small animal imaging
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Bone and Bones, Brain, Fluorescent Dyes, Furans, Polymers, Quantum Theory, Semiconductors, Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared, Quantum Dots, Mice
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