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Engineering Ultrastable Intrinsic Radicals: Graphene Quantum Dots With NIR-II Emission for Dynamic Deep-Tissue
Qin Xu1, Yijie Hou1, Bingzhe Wang2
1State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Hainan Province, School of Biomedical Engineering, Hainan University, Sanya, China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|August 3, 2026
Summary
Stable radicals in graphene quantum dots (GQDs) were achieved through controlled synthesis. These stable radicals enable efficient near-infrared II (NIR-II) photoluminescence for advanced bioimaging applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Quantum Information Technologies
Background:
- Stable radicals in carbon-based materials are crucial for photonic and quantum technologies.
- High reactivity often leads to inherent instability, hindering development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To stabilize intrinsic radicals within graphene quantum dots (GQDs).
- To explore the potential of these stabilized radicals for photonic applications, specifically NIR-II imaging.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized GQDs via two-dimensional polymerization of perylene derivatives.
- Investigated radical localization at lattice defects in bilayer graphene.
- Utilized experimental and theoretical methods to analyze electronic structure and photoluminescence.
Main Results:
- Achieved stable radical localization within GQDs across a wide temperature range (100-500 K).
- Generated an intrinsic radical defect (IRD) state with absorption beyond 780 nm.
- Observed efficient NIR-II photoluminescence (quantum yield 1.8%) due to exciton dissociation and charge transfer.
- Demonstrated high-resolution NIR-II fluorescence imaging of biological structures in mice.
Conclusions:
- Stabilized intrinsic radicals in GQDs offer exceptional stability and unique optical properties.
- The developed GQDs are promising for advanced photonic applications, particularly in biomedical imaging.
- This work advances the use of carbon-based radicals in photonic technologies.
