Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026
Fluorescence Lifetime Macro Imager for Biomedical Applications
Published on: April 7, 2023
A Dual-Emissive Organoplatinum(II) Probe Enables Ratiometric NIR and Phosphorescence Lifetime Imaging of Cell
Cheng Ouyang1, Zhuoli Chen1, Yu Chen1
1MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Anti-Infective Drug Discovery and Development, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Functional Molecular Engineering, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China.
None:
Fluorescent microscopy imaging continues to face major challenges due to biological scattering and autofluorescence. In this work, tridentate platinum-(II) complexes self-assemble into nanoaggregates via Pt-Pt interactions, enabling molecular-level control over the cellular uptake discrimination between membrane-intact and disrupted cells. This self-assembly switches the emission character from intraligand charge transfer (ILCT) to a lower-energy metal-metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MMLCT), yielding a ratiometric blue-to-NIR photoluminescence response. The emission transition is accompanied by a prolongation of the luminescence lifetime into the microsecond regime, which facilitates concentration-independent lifetime imaging. Furthermore, rational ligand engineering enhances the two-photon absorption cross-sections of the complexes, supporting their use in 3D imaging. The combination of assembly-driven two-photon excited NIR ratiometric emission and lifetime differentiation offers an approach for real-time monitoring of cell membrane integrity.
