Discrimination of live and apoptotic
cells is a crucial task in
the research of pharmacology, biology, pathology, and medicine science.
Recently, up-conversion (UC) luminescent materials have appealed much
attention due to their unique ability to convert low energy excitation
photons to high energy ones. However, UC fluorescence has not been
employed in the field of discrimination of live and apoptotic cells.
We present a facile and costless Stöber method to fabricate
robust silica nanoparticles (SiO2 UCNPs) exhibiting several
merits, such as narrow size distribution and UC luminescence. SiO2 UCNPs could discriminate live and apoptosis cells by taking
advantage of the unique surface property of SiO2 UCNPs
for the first time. This work is also the first demonstration of the
use of single photon excited UC fluorescence derived from nanoparticles
for biological recognition of a specific type of cells.
Unconventional fluorescent materials have attracted intense and continuous attention due to the facile processability, excellent biocompatibility, and high availability. However, for the lack of suitable unconventional fluorescent platform, unconventional luminophore‐based fluorescent probes have not been applied in the biological field, especially in the detection of bioactive molecules. In this work, unconventional red fluorescence is observed from a series of organoalkoxysilanes for the first time. Particularly, the unique fluorescence derived from smart Si–O bridged structures prompt the fluorescent probe design strategy. The strategy involves applying the Si–O bridge to provide desirable red unconventional fluorescence, and ratiometric detection of endogenous nitric oxide in lysosomes and in vivo. It is expected that this novel strategy will expand the applications of unconventional fluorescence to the bioimaging field, and further provide valid approach for the future evolution of unconventional fluorescent probes.
The first example of a two-photon fluorescent polysiloxane-based film with fantastic thermal-responsive properties was reported. A unique alkaline tuned reversible spirocyclization mechanism was proposed.
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