Elucidating Manganese Single-Atom Doping: Strategies for Fluorescence Enhancement in Water-Soluble Red-Emitting Carbon Dots and Applications for FL/MR Dual Mode Imaging.

ABSTRACT: The absence of the enhancement of fluorescence in carbon dots (CDs) through doping with transition metal atoms (TMAs) hinders the advancement of multi-modal bio-imaging CDs with high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Herein, Mn-atomically-doped R-CDs (R-Mn-CDs) with a high PLQY of 41.3% in water is presented, enabling efficient in vivo dual-mode fluorescence/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The comprehensive characterizations reveal that the incorporation of Mn atoms leads to a Mn-N₂O₂ coordinating structure, resulting in five significant effects: an increase in sp² conjugation domains, a reduction in band gap, a decreased oxidation level, an increase in photo-excited electron numbers, and the suppression of non-radiative electron relaxation pathways.

SUBMITTER: Gao F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11848584 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature