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Published on: January 11, 2011
Fluorescent Lanthanide Anthracene Frameworks for High-Resolution Cellular Imaging and Iron(II) Sensing
Pankaj Verma1, Udai P Singh1, Tushar Verma1
1Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, India.
Abstract:
Three fluorescent lanthanide (La/Dy) anthracene frameworks were synthesized under solvothermal conditions using the semi-flexible anthracene-derived zwitterionic ligand 9,10-bis[[(4-carboxylato)pyridin-1-ium-1-yl]methyl]anthracene (BCPA): {[Dy(BCPA)2(H2O)4]·Cl3·DMF·EtOH·(H2O)3·(S)}n (MOF-1), {[La(BCPA)2(H2O)]·Cl3·(H2O)2·(S)}n (MOF-2), and {[Dy(BCPA)(H2O)4]·Cl3·(S)}n (MOF-3), where S represents disordered solvent molecules. MOF-1 features a 1D chain architecture, whereas MOF-2 and MOF-3 crystallize into 3D frameworks. MOF-1 exhibits nanometer-scale particle size, strong photoluminescence, and high solubility in water/DMSO mixtures, making it an efficient probe for high-resolution live-cell imaging in HCT-15 cells with minimal cytotoxicity. In contrast, porous 3D architectures of MOF-2 and MOF-3, combined with their robust fluorescence, enable sensitive Fe2 + detection, displaying higher quenching efficiency and lower detection limits than MOF-1. Therefore, despite their identical chemical compositions, the dimensionality-induced differences in morphology and surface accessibility provide a rational basis for the observed divergence in biological imaging versus chemical sensing applications.
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