Intrinsic dual-emitting Si dots for high-precision and broad-range pH detection

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Accurate pH monitoring is vital for understanding cellular processes and assessing health status.
• Existing pH-responsive fluorescent probes often involve complex synthesis and suffer from reduced efficiency and stability.
• There is a need for simple, stable, and highly sensitive pH detection methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a straightforward method for preparing dual-emission silicon dots (Si dots) for high-precision, broad-range pH monitoring.
• To explore the application of these Si dots in detecting urease activity.
• To demonstrate the utility of Si dots for pH imaging in living cells.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of intrinsic dual-emitting Si dots with emission centers at 427 nm and 500 nm.
• Characterization of Si dot fluorescence response across a wide pH range (3.0-12.0).
• Quantification of urease activity using Si dots based on pH changes.
• In vivo pH imaging in HeLa cells.

Main Results:

• The Si dots exhibited distinct fluorescence changes at 427 nm and 500 nm in response to pH variations.
• High-precision linear pH detection was achieved in the ranges of 7.0-9.5 and 10.0-12.0.
• Urease detection demonstrated a linear range of 1-80 U/L with a low detection limit of 0.28 U/L.
• Successful pH imaging in living HeLa cells, showing color changes corresponding to intracellular pH shifts.

Conclusions:

• The developed intrinsic dual-emitting Si dots provide a simple and versatile platform for pH-related biosensing and bioimaging.
• This method offers a reliable approach for preparing dual-emission probes and constructing fluorescence ratiometrics for health status assessment.
• The Si dots show significant potential for applications in biological and medical fields requiring precise pH monitoring.