Defect-Induced Fluorescence of Silica Nanoparticles for Bioimaging Applications

With biocompatibility, biodegradability, and high functionality, silica nanoparticles (SNPs) have been widely investigated for various biomedical applications. However, lack of optical fluorescence has limited the application of SNPs as a degradable imaging agent. Here, we hydrothermally synthesized fluorescent SNPs by artificially generating optically active defect centers using tetraethyl orthosilicate and (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane. The synthesized SNPs demonstrated strong blue photoluminescence originating from the dioxasilyrane (=Si(O₂)) and silylene (=Si:) defect centers with the aid of aminopropyl groups. Furthermore, phosphorescence was observed at 459 nm, indicating the presence of silylene in SNPs. Finally, these SNPs have been successfully utilized as a fluorescent probe for bioimaging of normal, cancer, and macrophage cells.