title: pH- and Temperature-Sensitive Hydrogel Nanoparticles with Dual Photoluminescence for Bioprobes.
abstract: This study demonstrates high contrast and sensitivity by designing a dual-emissive hydrogel particle system, whose two emissions respond to pH and temperature strongly and independently. It describes the photoluminescence (PL) response of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)-based core/shell hydrogel nanoparticles with dual emission, which is obtained by emulsion polymerization with potassium persulfate, consisting of the thermo- and pH-responsive copolymers of PNIPAM and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). A red-emission rare-earth complex and a blue-emission quaternary ammonium tetraphenylethylene derivative (d-TPE) with similar excitation wavelengths are inserted into the core and shell of the hydrogel nanoparticles, respectively. The PL intensities of the nanoparticles exhibit a linear temperature response in the range from 10 to 80 °C with a change as large as a factor of 5. In addition, the blue emission from the shell exhibits a linear pH response between pH 6.5 and 7.6 with a resolution of 0.1 unit, while the red emission from the core is pH-independent. These stimuli-responsive PL nanoparticles have potential applications in biology and chemistry, including bio- and chemosensors, biological imaging, cancer diagnosis, and externally activated release of anticancer drugs.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University , Changchun 130012, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: School of Stomatology, Jilin University , Changchun 130041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ce
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Changchun University of Technology , Changchun 130012, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xudong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University , Changchun 130012, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Bowen
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University , Changchun 130012, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuanqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University , Changchun 130012, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Stomatology, Jilin University , Changchun 130041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaowei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: School of Stomatology, Jilin University , Changchun 130041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hongchen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Sichuan University , Chengdu 610065, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Kui
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University , Changchun 130012, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Bai
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University , Changchun 130012, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D020100:Hydrogels; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D053758:Nanoparticles; D011108:Polymers; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D020100:Hydrogels; D011108:Polymers
keywords: bioprobes; dual emission; hydrogels; nanoparticles; pH and temperature responses; photoluminescence