Carbon Nanospheres: Tunable Luminescent Carbon Nanospheres with Well-Defined Nanoscale Chemistry for Synchronized Imaging and Therapy (Small 36/2015)

Abstract

Drug (PTX)‐loaded luminescent carbon nanoparticles (LCNs) are passivated with a thermoresponsive polymer (PNIPAM) inside melanoma cells. On page 4691, R. Bhargava, D. Pan, and co‐workers acquire such images using confocal fluorescence techniques. A representative cartoon of the nanoparticles is shown in black, where the white and the green shells represent the anti‐cancer drug (PTX: molecular structure shown) and the PNIPAM coating, respectively. The cells, upon internalizing the particles under physiological conditions, trigger the delivery of drugs contained in them.

Facile Size-Controlled Synthesis of Fluorescent Carbon Nanoparticles with Size-Independent Optical Properties

“…The optical properties of plasmonic nanoparticles and up-conversion quantum dots are easily manipulated through size and shape modifications of the nanoparticles [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Fluorescent carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) made from the thermal decomposition of sugars have recently gained in popularity for their tunable optical properties and their biocompatible nature [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. However, the precise means and mechanisms affording their unique optical properties are not fully understood.…”

“…However, the precise means and mechanisms affording their unique optical properties are not fully understood. Some studies have indicated that the surface chemistry (oxidization, cross-linking, and functionalization) [17][18][19][20], and the internal bonding (graphitic vs diamond, and point defects) [24,25] within the nanoparticle are directly responsible for the resultant fluorescent properties. However, in these studies, researchers were unable to control for size and thus could not rule out the potential that the size of these nanoparticles may be causal of the resultant fluorescent properties.…”