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Synthesis and Characterization of Photoswitchable Fluorescent Silica Nanoparticles
Author(s) -
Fölling Jonas,
Polyakova Svetlana,
Belov Vladimir,
van Blaaderen Alfons,
Bossi Mariano L.,
Hell Stefan W.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.200700440
Subject(s) - fluorescence , photochromism , photobleaching , quantum yield , nanoparticle , diarylethene , rhodamine , photochemistry , materials science , molecule , fluorescence microscope , fluorescence in the life sciences , microscopy , characterization (materials science) , rhodamine b , chemistry , nanotechnology , fluorophore , organic chemistry , photocatalysis , optics , catalysis , physics
We have designed and synthesized a new functional (amino reactive) highly efficient fluorescent molecular switch (FMS) with a photochromic diarylethene and a rhodamine fluorescent dye. The reactive group in this FMS ‐N‐hydroxysuccinimide ester‐ allows selective labeling of amino containing molecules or other materials. In ethanolic solutions, the compound displays a large fluorescent quantum yield of 52 % and a large fluorescence modulation ratio (94 %) between two states that may be interconverted with red and near‐UV light. Silica nanoparticles incorporating the new FMS were prepared and characterized, and their spectroscopic and switching properties were also studied. The dye retained its properties after the incorporation into the silica, thereby allowing light‐induced reversible high modulation of the fluorescence signal of a single particle for up to 60 cycles, before undergoing irreversible photobleaching. Some applications of these particles in fluorescence microscopy are also demonstrated. In particular, subdiffraction images of nanoparticles were obtained, in the focal plane of a confocal microscope.