A two-in-one Janus NIR-II AIEgen with balanced absorption and emission for image-guided precision surgery

S. Liu; Y. Li; J. Zhang; H. Zhang; Y. Wang; C. Chuah; Y. Tang; J.W.Y. Lam; R.T.K. Kwok; H. Ou; D. Ding; B.Z. Tang

Materials Today Bio (Mar 2021)

A two-in-one Janus NIR-II AIEgen with balanced absorption and emission for image-guided precision surgery

S. Liu,
Y. Li,
J. Zhang,
H. Zhang,
Y. Wang,
C. Chuah,
Y. Tang,
J.W.Y. Lam,
R.T.K. Kwok,
H. Ou,
D. Ding,
B.Z. Tang

Affiliations

S. Liu: Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
Y. Li: Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
J. Zhang: Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
H. Zhang: Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
Y. Wang: Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
C. Chuah: Institute for NanoScale Science and Technology, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, South Australia, 5042, Australia
Y. Tang: Institute for NanoScale Science and Technology, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, South Australia, 5042, Australia
J.W.Y. Lam: Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
R.T.K. Kwok: Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
H. Ou: Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials Ministry of Education and College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China; Corresponding author.
D. Ding: Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials Ministry of Education and College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
B.Z. Tang: Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Division of Life Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Center for Aggregation-Induced Emission SCUT-HKUST Joint Research Institute State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China; AIE Institute, Guangzhou Development District, Huangpu, Guangzhou, 510530, China; Corresponding author.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 10
p. 100087

Abstract

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Fluorescence imaging in the near-infrared II (NIR-II, 1000–1700 nm) region opens up new avenues for biological systems due to suppressed scattering and low autofluorescence at longer-wavelength photons. Nonetheless, the development of organic NIR-II fluorophores is still limited mainly due to the shortage of efficient molecular design strategy. Herein, we propose an approach of designing Janus NIR-II fluorophores by introducing electronic donors with distinct properties into one molecule. As a proof-of-concept, fluorescent dye 2 TT-m, oC6B with both twisted and planar electronic donors displayed balanced absorption and emission which were absent in its parent compound. The key design strategy for Janus molecule is that it combines the merits of intense absorption from planar architecture and high fluorescence quantum yield from twisted motif. The resulting 2 TT-m, oC6B nanoparticles exhibit a high molar absorptivity of 1.12 ⨯104 M−1 cm−1 at 808 nm and a NIR-II quantum yield of 3.7%, displaying a typical aggregation-induced emission (AIE) attribute. The highly bright and stable 2 TT-m, oC6B nanoparticles assured NIR-II image-guided cancer surgery to resect submillimeter tumor nodules. The present study may inspire further development of molecular design philosophy for highly bright NIR-II fluorophores for biomedical applications.

Published in Materials Today Bio

ISSN: 2590-0064 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General); Science: Biology (General)
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/materials-today-bio

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