Synthesis of cytocompatible luminescent titania/fluorescein hybrid nanoparticles

Luminescent titania-fluorescein (FS) hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully synthesized by a sol-gel reaction of titanium alkoxide in the presence of octadecylamine using a fluidic reactor with a Y-type channel. The molar ratio of FS/Ti ratio was varied in the range from 1/1000 to 1/100 in order to obtain the hybrid NPs with the different luminescent behavior. The shape of the NPs is spherical and their sizes are 400 nm which is almost the same irrespective of the FS content, suggesting the different FS molecular states in one NP. We also demonstrated that the hybrid NPs exhibited a characteristic luminescence; the NPs with the higher and lower FS contents exhibited an enhanced luminescence in PBS and air, respectively, indicating that the FS states responded to the molecular environment. Through cytocompatible experiments using the NPs, it turned out that they had a high compatibility for fibroblasts. Therefore, the preparation of a series of the luminescent NPs with a tunable luminescence property was achieved. The results will lead to a guideline to determine a proper combination between material composition and an environment where they are used, being useful for biomedical applications.