Silicon nanocrystals with an average diameter of 5 nm and functionalized with 4,7-di(2-thienyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole chromophores (TBT) and dodecyl chains exhibit near-infrared emission upon one-photon (1P) excitation at 515 nm and two-photon (2P) excitation at 960 nm. By using TBT chromophores as an antenna, we were able to enhance both 1P and 2P absorption cross-sections of the silicon nanocrystals to more efficiently excite their long-lived luminescence. These results chart a path to 2P-excitable imaging probes with long-lived oxygen-independent luminescence, a rare combination of properties that should allow for a substantial increase in imaging contrast.
Bright Long-Lived Luminescence of Silicon Nanocrystals Sensitized by Two-Photon Absorbing Antenna / Ravotto, Luca; Chen, Qi; Ma, Yuguo; Vinogradov, Sergei A; Locritani, Mirko; Bergamini, Giacomo; Negri, Fabrizia; Yu, Yixuan; Korgel, Brian A.; Ceroni, Paola. - In: CHEM. - ISSN 2451-9308. - STAMPA. - 2:4(2017), pp. 550-560. [10.1016/j.chempr.2017.02.007]
Bright Long-Lived Luminescence of Silicon Nanocrystals Sensitized by Two-Photon Absorbing Antenna
RAVOTTO, LUCA;LOCRITANI, MIRKO;BERGAMINI, GIACOMO;NEGRI, FABRIZIA;CERONI, PAOLA
2017
Abstract
Silicon nanocrystals with an average diameter of 5 nm and functionalized with 4,7-di(2-thienyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole chromophores (TBT) and dodecyl chains exhibit near-infrared emission upon one-photon (1P) excitation at 515 nm and two-photon (2P) excitation at 960 nm. By using TBT chromophores as an antenna, we were able to enhance both 1P and 2P absorption cross-sections of the silicon nanocrystals to more efficiently excite their long-lived luminescence. These results chart a path to 2P-excitable imaging probes with long-lived oxygen-independent luminescence, a rare combination of properties that should allow for a substantial increase in imaging contrast.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.