title: Fabrication of fluorescent silica nanoparticles with aggregation-induced emission luminogens for cell imaging.
abstract: Fluorescence-based techniques have found wide applications in life science. Among various luminogenic materials, fluorescent nanoparticles have attracted much attention due to their fabulous emission properties and potential applications as sensors. Here, we describe the fabrication of fluorescent silica nanoparticles (FSNPs) containing aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens. By employing surfactant-free sol-gel reaction, FSNPs with uniform size and high surface charge and colloidal stability are generated. The FSNPs emit strong light upon photoexcitation, due to the AIE characteristic of the silole -aggregates in the hybrid nanoparticles. The FSNPs are cytocompatible and can be utilized as fluorescent visualizer for intracellular imaging for HeLa cells.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Sijie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jacky W Y
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Ben Zhong
authors.initials: BZ
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D049449:Luminescence; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053758:Nanoparticles; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D012822:Silicon Dioxide