Highly emissive phosphorescence nanoparticles sensitized by a TADF polymer for time-resolved luminescence imaging. (17th June 2020) - Xu, Li
Abstract : Highly efficient phosphor nanoparticles were prepared with energy transfer from TADF polymer to Ir complex. These nanoparticles exhibited good dispersibility and biocompatibility, which were then used in time-resolved luminescence bioimaging. Abstract : The development of luminescent probes with long excited state lifetimes is essential for time-resolved biological imaging, among which Ir(iii ) complexes are particularly promising. Considearble efforts have been devoted to increasing the luminescence efficiency of a bioprobe based on the Ir(iii ) complex in water. A novel and facile design principle of nanoparticles with highly emissive phosphorescence sensitized by a thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) polymer for bioimaging has been proposed in this study. The homogenous doping of a small amount of the Ir(iii ) complex with the TADF polymer (2.5% doping ratio) via non-covalent assembly in nanoparticles induced an efficient energy transfer from the TADF polymer to the Ir(iii ) complex, thus enhancing both emission intensity and luminescence lifetime. In addition, these nanoparticles, which were used in time-resolved luminescence bioimaging, exhibited good dispersibility in water and excellent biocompatibility. Therefore, this method significantly reduced the concentration of the Ir(iii ) complexes and decreased the toxicity risk of heavy metals.