Issue 2, 2020

Tuning aggregation-induced emission nanoparticle properties under thin film formation

Abstract

The most frequently used approach to preparing aggregation-induced emission fluorogen (AIEgen) particles is precipitation. Therefore, the addition of an AIEgen solution into water results in the formation of AIEgen particles in a very short time. Within such a short period of time and in the absence of proper mixing under shear, AIE particles are likely to be distributed in a wide range of sizes, thereby affecting their ultimate brightness and applications. Despite numerous attempts, the size of AIEgen particles is still within the range of 200–300 nm. For the first time, we developed a facile robust and cost-effective method for the fabrication of aggregation-induced emission nanoparticles with tuneable particle sizes <100 nm, high quantum yield, and excellent photostability. The direct diffusion of nanoparticles within the cell or in a single-celled organism, as an advantage of size reduction, opens new opportunities for biological and material studies. Such a significant reduction in AIE nanoparticle size has the potential for developing more efficient techniques for characterizing advanced nanomaterials and understanding biological processes and detection strategies.

Graphical abstract: Tuning aggregation-induced emission nanoparticle properties under thin film formation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Research Article
Submitted
18 Sep 2019
Accepted
23 Okt 2019
First published
23 Okt 2019

Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 537-545

Tuning aggregation-induced emission nanoparticle properties under thin film formation

J. Tavakoli, S. Pye, A. H. M. M. Reza, N. Xie, J. Qin, C. L. Raston, B. Z. Tang and Y. Tang, Mater. Chem. Front., 2020, 4, 537 DOI: 10.1039/C9QM00585D

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