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Squaraine Dye-Sensitized Upconversion with Enhanced Stability and Minimized Aggregation-Caused Quenching
Jialing Hu1, Bingjie Zhao1, Rongrong Wen1
1Department of Chemistry and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
Nano Letters
|May 25, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed a new squaraine dye, SQ-739, to boost the brightness of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). This stable dye significantly enhances near-infrared upconversion luminescence (UCL) for advanced imaging applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Photochemistry
Background:
- Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) suffer from low brightness due to limited light absorption.
- Organic sensitizers can improve UCNP light absorption but often face stability issues and aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ).
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel, stable organic sensitizer for enhancing upconversion luminescence (UCL).
- To investigate the performance of a new squaraine-based dye (SQ-739) for sensitizing UCNPs.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and characterization of the squaraine-based dye SQ-739.
- Doping of UCNPs with SQ-739 to create SQ-739-UCNPs.
- Evaluation of chemical and photostability, ACQ, and UCL emission enhancement.
Main Results:
- SQ-739 exhibits enhanced absorption at 739 nm and superior chemical/photostability compared to IR-806.
- SQ-739-UCNPs demonstrate improved photostability and reduced ACQ in polar solvents.
- A 97-fold increase in UCL emission was observed at the single-particle level for SQ-739-UCNPs.
Conclusions:
- The squaraine dye SQ-739 is a highly stable and efficient sensitizer for UCNPs.
- This squaraine dye-based system offers a new strategy for developing robust near-infrared upconversion probes.
