Aggregation-induced emission dye based luminescent silica nanoparticles: facile preparation, biocompatibility evaluation and cell imaging applications

Abstract

In this work, we reported for the first time that luminescent silica nanoparticles could be easily fabricated by the encapsulation of an aggregation-induced emission dye (named An18) via a modified St öber method. In this method, octadecyltrimethoxysilane (C18-Si) and An18 were first self assembled and served as the core of the silica nanoparticles. Then another silicate precursor, tetraethoxysilane, was further coated on the luminescent core, thus forming luminescent silica nanoparticles. The properties of the thus obtained luminescent silica nanoparticles (named An18-SiO 2 NPs) were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The biocompatibility and cell uptake behavior of the An18-SiO 2 NPs were further investigated to evaluate their potential for biomedical applications. Our results demonstrated that the An18-SiO 2 NPs have a uniform spherical morphology (with diameter of 70-80 nm), high water dispersibility, remarkable fluorescent properties and excellent biocompatibility, making them a promising candidate material for various biomedical applications.

A bioinspired strategy for surface modification of silica nanoparticles

“…The outstanding properties of silica nanoparticles related to their structure have drawn numerous attention from researchers to explore their applications [7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. To date, the luminescent silica nanoparticles are ideal candidates for applications in optical imaging and theranostics due to their chemical inertness, biocompatibility, transparency and cellular membrane-penetrating capacity [14][15][16][17][18][19]. On the other hand, silica nanoparticles have also been considered as promising supports to immobilize different enzymes and catalysts for improving their catalysis activity and stability [20,21].…”

Facile preparation and biological imaging of luminescent polymeric nanoprobes with aggregation-induced emission characteristics through Michael addition reaction

“…Opposite to the ACQ effect, AIE active dyes emitted much stronger fluorescent intensity in their aggregate state due to the restriction of intramolecular rotations (RIR) and prohibition of energy dissipation via non-irradiative channels [19]. To date, a large number of new AIE luminogens containing silole, tetraphenlyethene (TPE), triphenylamine (TPA), 9,10-distyrylanthrancene (DSA), 1,4-distyrylbenzene (DSB) and their derivatives have been designed and explored for different applications [23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. However, the inherent hydrophobic features of AIE fluorogens have limited their application in physiological solution, which is of great challenges to modify these AIE-active fluorogens with stable and excellent water dispersibility.…”

Polylysine Crosslinked AIE Dye Based Fluorescent Organic Nanoparticles for Biological Imaging Applications

“…Their obvious advantages include the potential to biodegrade, the designability of small organic molecules, the ease of surface functionalization, and excellent biocompatibility. Different FONs based on polymerizable conventional organic dyes, conjugated polymers, polydopamine, and aggregation induced emission (AIE) dyes have previously been developed . The basic principle for fabrication of FONs is the integration of hydrophobic organic dyes with hydrophilic molecules, thus forming a dye containing amphiphilic copolymers.…”

“…AIE is an abnormal fluorescent phenomenon, which suggests that some organic dyes emit much stronger fluorescence intensity in the aggregated state than in the dispersed state . Since Tang et al first reported the AIE phenomenon in 2001, a variety of dyes with the AIE property, including tetraphenylethene, siloles, triphenylethene, distyrylanthracene, and cyano‐substituted diarylethene, have been discovered. These AIE dyes with different chemical structures and fluorescent properties have been widely utilized for the fabrication of AIE based FONs and explored for various biomedical applications .…”