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The Photophysics of Polythiophene Nanoparticles for Biological Applications
Author(s) -
Bargigia Ilaria,
Zucchetti Elena,
Kandada Ajay Ram Srimath,
Moreira Miguel,
Bossio Caterina,
Wong Walter P. D.,
Miranda Paulo Barbeitas,
Decuzzi Paolo,
Soci Cesare,
D'Andrea Cosimo,
Lanzani Guglielmo
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chembiochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1439-7633
pISSN - 1439-4227
DOI - 10.1002/cbic.201800167
Subject(s) - photoexcitation , ultrafast laser spectroscopy , nanoparticle , polythiophene , microsecond , photochemistry , chemistry , absorption (acoustics) , context (archaeology) , nanotechnology , quantum dot , chemical physics , materials science , polymer , spectroscopy , organic chemistry , excited state , conductive polymer , paleontology , physics , quantum mechanics , astronomy , nuclear physics , composite material , biology
In this work the photophysics of poly(3‐hexylthiophene) nanoparticles (NPs) is investigated in the context of their biological applications. The NPs, made as colloidal suspensions in aqueous buffers, present a distinct absorption band in the low‐energy region. On the basis of systematic analysis of absorption and transient absorption (TA) spectra taken under different pH conditions, this band is associated with charge‐transfer states generated by the polarization of loosely bound polymer chains and originating from complexes formed with electron‐withdrawing species. Importantly, the ground‐state depletion of these states upon photoexcitation is active even on microsecond timescales, thus suggesting that they act as precursor states for long‐living polarons; this could be beneficial for cellular stimulation. Preliminary transient absorption microscopy results for NPs internalized within the cells reveal the presence of long‐living species, further substantiating their relevance in biointerfaces.