Reversible Photochemical Switching via Plasmonically Enhanced Upconversion Photoluminescence

Abstract

Photochromic molecule‐incorporated optical devices offer desirable properties for photocontrollable optical systems, including advanced optical data storage and super‐resolution imaging. However, these molecules require multiple illumination sources, such as UV and visible light, for reversible photochemical reactions, which restricts their potential for advanced application. This study reports an effective strategy for modulating photoisomerization via a single near‐infrared light source assisted by plasmonically enhanced photoswitchable upconversion photoluminescence (UCPL). The proposed quasi‐periodic metal nanostructures to facilitate the resonance modes in the broadband region enable the substitution of the detrimental high‐energy light source (i.e., UV light) with near‐infrared stimuli, which is associated with UCPL enhancement of over two orders with spectrum orthogonality. To validate this concept, the accelerated reversible‐photoisomerization kinetics is experimentally confirmed by three‐ and tenfold amplification of the PL intensities of the photochromic disulfonyldiarylethene derivatives. Further validation of the proposed strategy is performed using photodynamic imaging, which reveals accelerated photoisomerization, high photocyclization stability, and high spatial resolution.

Ligand-protected nanocluster-mediated photoswitchable fluorescent nanoprobes towards dual-color cellular imaging

“…We note that such a high multicolor switching ratio has been rarely achieved in the reported multi-color uorescence photoswitchable nanoprobes. 36,[53][54][55][56] Previous studies found that uorescent switches fabricated by noncovalently conjugating the uorescence donor with the photochromic acceptor are more favorable for achieving a high switching ratio than that constructed by covalent binding. [57][58][59][60] Thus, instead of covalent conjugation, we adopted a rather mild strategy by physically encapsulating both AuNCs and spiropyran inside lipid NPs.…”

Recent Development of Photochromic Polymer Systems: Mechanism, Materials, and Applications

“…Single-molecule super-resolution microscopy has become a standard imaging tool for in situ visualization of nanostructures in life sciences [ 120 ], but the application of this technique to polymers has been less explored [ 121 ]. A key bottleneck is the lack of fluorophores and covalent attachment to polymer chains [ 122 ].…”

Orthogonal Trichromatic Upconversion with High Color Purity in Core‐Shell Nanoparticles for a Full‐Color Display

“…[20][21][22][23][24][25] Intriguingly, the significant development of coreshell structural design over the past few years provides an effective platform for color modulation in a single upconversion nanoparticle by tailoring the emission profiles of different lanthanide centers. [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] Despite the enticing prospect, the current development of full-color upconversion nanoparticles is hindered by the harsh need of excitation setup, such as complex three-channel photo upconversion and complicated pulse width modulation. [34][35][36][37] Here, we demonstrate a dual-channel orthogonal upconversion system pumping at 808 nm and 980 nm, in which the specific emissions of different lanthanide dopants can be selectively and exquisitely produced on a single upconversion nanoparticle.…”