Polyelectrolyte-assisted formation of molecular nanoparticles exhibiting strongly enhanced fluorescence

A polyelectrolyte-assisted reprecipitation method is developed to fabricate nanoparticles of highly soluble molecules. The approach is demonstrated by using a zwitterionic diaminodicyanoquinodimethane molecule bearing remote ammonium functionalities with high solubility in water as well as organic solvents. Nanoparticles are prepared by injecting aqueous solutions of this compound containing an optimum concentration of sodium poly(styrenesulfonate) into methanol. The strong fluorescence exhibited by the compound in the aggregated state is reflected in the enhanced fluorescence of the polyelectrolyte complex in water. The nanoparticles formed in the colloidal state manifest even stronger fluorescence, which leads to an overall enhancement by about 90 times relative to aqueous solutions of the pure compound. The conditions for achieving the emission enhancement are optimized and a model for the molecular-level interactions and aggregation effects is developed through a range of spectroscopy, microscopy, and calorimetry investigations and control experiments.