Ultra-Small Air-Stable Triplet-Triplet Annihilation Upconversion Nanoparticles for Anti-Stokes Time-Resolved Imaging.

ABSTRACT: Image contrast is often limited by background autofluorescence in steady-state bioimaging microscopy. Upconversion bioimaging can overcome this by shifting the emission lifetime and wavelength beyond the autofluorescence window. Here we demonstrate the first example of triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) based lifetime imaging microscopy. A new class of ultra-small nanoparticle (NP) probes based on TTA-UC chromophores encapsulated in an organic-inorganic host has been synthesised. The NPs exhibit bright UC emission (400-500 nm) in aerated aqueous media with a UC lifetime of ≈1 μs, excellent colloidal stability and little cytotoxicity. Proof-of-concept demonstration of TTA-UC lifetime imaging using these NPs shows that the long-lived anti-Stokes emission is easily discriminab

SUBMITTER: Zhang B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10952532 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature