Ionophore-based ion-selective optical nanosensors have been explored for a number of years. Voltage sensitive dyes (VSDs) have been introduced into this type of sensors only very recently, forming a new class of analytical tools. Here, K+-sensitive nanospheres incorporating a lipophilic VSD were successfully fabricated and characterized. The nanosensors were readily delivered into the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum in a non-invasive manner, forming a promising new platform for intracellular ion quantification and imaging.
