Issue 6, 2020

Efficient red luminogen with aggregation-induced emission for in vivo three-photon brain vascular imaging

Abstract

Nanoparticle-assisted deep-tissue fluorescence imaging is of great significance to bioimaging and disease diagnosis. Through the combination of the electron donor triphenylamine and electron acceptor cyan, the compound 1,1-dicyano-2-phenyl-2-(4-diphenylamino)phenylethylene (DCPE-TPA, 1) was synthesized and exhibited an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect. Compound 1 can form three kinds of aggregation states: orange crystals (1OC, 578 nm, ΦF = 50.6%), red crystals (1RC, 613 nm, ΦF = 78.4%) and deep-red emissive amorphous solids (1Am, 667 nm, ΦF = 30.4%) with notable differences in their emission wavelengths and quantum yields. The DCPE-TPA molecules are encapsulated with a polymeric matrix of Pluronic F-127 to form nanoparticles (NPs) that exhibit intense three-photon fluorescence (3PF) in the deep-red region as well as high stability, good photostability and good biocompatibility. Under a 1560 nm fs laser, the DCPE-TPA NPs are further utilized for in vivo 3PF imaging of the vasculature in the brain of a mouse at various vertical depths, producing a penetration depth of 300 μm with a high spatial resolution of 1.8 μm and a high signal-to-background ratio (SBR) of 14. A high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) model of the vasculature beneath the skull could be reconstructed. It is worth mentioning that such a high quantum yield for the deep-red emission of a purely organic material has rarely been reported.

Graphical abstract: Efficient red luminogen with aggregation-induced emission for in vivo three-photon brain vascular imaging

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Research Article
Submitted
30 Apr 2020
Accepted
18 May 2020
First published
19 May 2020

Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 1634-1642

Efficient red luminogen with aggregation-induced emission for in vivo three-photon brain vascular imaging

H. Tian, D. Li, X. Tang, Y. Zhang, Z. Yang, J. Qian, Y. Q. Dong and M. Han, Mater. Chem. Front., 2020, 4, 1634 DOI: 10.1039/D0QM00284D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements