Exfoliated near infrared fluorescent silicate nanosheets for (bio)photonics.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 32198383.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-15299-5 and PMC identifier 7083911.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Imaging of complex (biological) samples in the near-infrared (NIR) is beneficial due to reduced light scattering, absorption, phototoxicity, and autofluorescence. However, there are few NIR fluorescent materials known and suitable for biomedical applications. Here we exfoliate the layered pigment CaCuSi<sub>4</sub>O<sub>10</sub> (Egyptian Blue, EB) via ball milling and facile tip sonication into NIR fluorescent nanosheets (EB-NS). The size of EB-NS can be tailored to diameters <20 nm and heights down to 1 nm. EB-NS fluoresce at 910 nm and the fluorescence intensity correlates with the number of Cu<sup>2+</sup> ions. Furthermore, EB-NS display no bleaching and high brightness compared with other NIR fluorophores. The versatility of EB-NS is demonstrated by in-vivo single-particle tracking and microrheology measurements in Drosophila melanogaster embryos. EB-NS can be uptaken by plants and remotely detected in a low-cost stand-off detection setup. In summary, EB-NS have the potential for a wide range of bioimaging applications.
Medical subject headings
- Fluorescent Dyes
- Infrared Rays
- Optical Imaging
- Optics and Photonics
- Silicates