Improved emission performance of benzo[a]phenoxazine in aqueous solution through host–guest interaction

Abstract

To evaluate the contribution of host–guest chemistry in fluorescence enhancement under aqueous conditions, two benzo[a]phenoxazine derivatives with the adamantyl group were prepared. After they formed stable complexes with methyl-β-cyclodextrin, their emissions at 625–825 nm were greatly increased and fluorescence quantum yields reached 11.5–12.6% in aqueous solution. Furthermore, they were successfully applied in fluorescence labeling of organelles in HeLa cells.