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Updated: Dec 7, 2025
A Bright NIR-II Fluorescence Probe for Vascular and Tumor Imaging
Published on: March 17, 2023
Polymethine-Based Semiconducting Polymer Dots with Narrow-Band Emission and Absorption/Emission Maxima at NIR-II for
Ming-Ho Liu1, Zhe Zhang2, Yu-Chi Yang1
1Department of Applied Chemistry/Center for Emergent Functional Matter Science, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 30050, Taiwan.
Abstract:
Deep-penetration fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window heralds a new era of clinical surgery, in which high-resolution vascular/lymphatic anatomy and detailed cancerous tissues can be visualized in real time. Described here is a series of polymethine-based semiconducting polymers with intrinsic emission maxima in the NIR-IIa (1300-1400 nm) window and absorption maxima ranging from 1082 to 1290 nm. These polymers were prepared as semiconducting polymer dots (Pdots) in aqueous solutions with fluorescence quantum yields of 0.05-0.18 %, and they demonstrate promising applications in noninvasive through-skull brain imaging in live mice with remarkable spatial resolution as well as signal-to-background contrast. This study offers a platform for future design of NIR-IIa or even NIR-IIb emitting Pdots.
