Facile preparation and processing of aqueous dispersions of tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminium(iii) photoluminescent nanoparticles

Abstract

In this paper we present a facile method for the novel production of surfactant-stabilized aqueous dispersions of tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminium(III) (Alq3) nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are spherical, less than 10 nm in mean diameter, and highly fluorescent. We demonstrate the potential scope of these water-based colloids in sol–gel and electrospinning processes by fabricating photoluminescent silica glasses and polymer nanowires, respectively. Furthermore, we show that the Alq3 nanoparticles are effective imaging agents for electroporated or thin-sectioned MCF-7 cells. The development of aqueous-based approaches to stable sols of Alq3 nanoparticles offers significant scope for the future use and application of this technologically important emissive material.