title: Selective Dual-Channel Imaging on Cyanostyryl-Modified Azulene Systems with Unimolecularly Tunable Visible-Near Infrared Luminescence.
abstract: Although organic light-emitting molecules have received a growing attention and applicability in modern bioimaging science, the design and control of complex photoluminescent properties in unimolecularly selective imaging remains a challenging topic. Considering that tunable multipathway imaging can be advantagedly connected with treatment processes in therapy, the integration of an azulene and a cyanostyryl moiety into one skeleton is carried out for the generation of in situ stimuli-responsive luminescent materials, with the aim to achieve tunable and effective emissions in distinct channels through smart molecular design on a single-molecular platform. This strategy takes advantage of 1) the Z/E isomerization of the cyanostyryl unit that can vary the push-pull effect of the substitution on azulene, accompanied by altering absorption and emission of individual excited states, and 2) an optimized excited-state regulation for opening a near infrared emissive channel and making up for a controllable dual-pathway luminescent system together with the utilization of visible emission. As exemplified by a demonstration of manipulating the luminescence at the cell level, the materials exhibit a superior application potential for unimolecularly selective imaging, labeling and probing events.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Yunyun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Yaping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.affiliation: Division of Theoretical Chemistry and Biology, School of Biotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Division of Theoretical Chemistry and Biology, School of Biotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ågren
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Jiandong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Liangliang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
keywords: Z/E-isomerization; azulene; dual-pathway emission; nearinfrared luminescence; selective imaging