Water Triggered Synthesis of Highly Stable and Biocompatible 1D Nanowire, 2D Nanoplatelet, and 3D Nanocube CsPbBr₃ Perovskites for Multicolor Two-Photon Cell Imaging

Abstract

Two-photon imaging in the near-infrared window holds huge promise for real life biological imaging due to the increased penetration depth. All-inorganic CsPbX 3 nanocrystals with bright luminescence and broad spectral tunability are excellent smart probes for two-photon bioimaging. But, the poor stability in water is a well-documented issue for limiting their practical use. Herein, we present the development of specific antibody attached water-resistant one-dimensional (1D) CsPbBr 3 nanowires, two-dimensional (2D) CsPbBr 3 nanoplatelets, and three-dimensional (3D) CsPbBr 3 nanocubes which can be used for selective and simultaneous two-photon imaging of heterogeneous breast cancer cells in the near IR biological window. The current manuscript reports the design of excellent photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), biocompatible and photostable 1D CsPbBr 3 nanowires, 2D CsPbBr 3 nanoplatelets, and 3D CsPbBr 3 nanocubes through an interfacial conversion from zero-dimensional (0D) Cs 4 PbBr 6 nanocrystals via a water triggered strategy. Reported data show that just by varying the amount of water, one can control the dimension of CsPbBr 3 perovskite crystals. Time-dependent transition electron microscopy and emission spectra have been reported to find the possible pathway for the formation of 1D, 2D, and 3D CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals from 0D Cs 4 PbBr 6 nanocrystals. Biocompatible 1D, 2D, and 3D CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals were developed by coating with amine–poly(ethylene glycol)–propionic acid. Experimental data show the water-driven design of 1D, 2D, and 3D CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals exhibits strong single-photon PLQY of ∼66–88% as well as excellent two-photon absorption properties (σ 2 ) of ∼8.3 × 10 5 –7.1 × 10 4 GM. Furthermore, reported data show more than 86% of PL intensity remains for 1D, 2D, and 3D CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals after 35 days under water, and they exhibit excellent photostability of keeping 99% PL intensity after 3 h under UV light. The current report demonstrates for the first time that antibody attached 1D and 2D perovskites have capability for simultaneous two-photon imaging of triple negative breast cancer cells and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive breast cancer cells. CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals exhibit very high two-photon absorption cross-section and good photostability in water, which are superior to those of commonly used organic probes (σ 2 = 11 GM for fluorescein), and therefore, they have capability to be a better probe for bioimaging applications.

Perovskites: Multiphoton Absorption and Applications

“…Significant MPA strength, along with good photostability, also makes perovskite materials with great potential for OL, bioimaging and so on. [133,[149][150][151][152][153] As reported by Li et al, the composition of SiO 2 @CsPbBr 3 QDs exhibited 50% OL at 1.68 J cm −2 for the nanosecond regime, and 74% OL at 0.1 J cm −2 for the picosecond regime at 532 nm. [149] Varma et al demonstrated the (BA) 2 (MA)Pb 2 I 7 (I n=2 ) QDs showed more than 50% OL at 85 μJ for 5 ns, 532 nm Neodyminum-doped YttriumAlumini-umGarnet (Nd-YAG) laser pulses.…”

“…By taking advantages of significant MPA strength, perovskite materials are desirable for a variety of technological applications. Among them, upconversion lasing, [130,131] sub-band photodetection, [58,132] and high-resolution bioimaging [133,134] have been demonstrated with great potentials for optoelectronic and biophotonic systems.…”

Design of two-dimensional halide perovskite composites for optoelectronic applications and beyond

“…The record of photoluminescence and electroluminescence efficiency 216 of 2D perovskites has continuously been broken in display, encryption, biological imaging and X-Ray detection. 52,217,218 For instance, Chandra et al 219 reported the use of specific antibody attached water-resistant CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals in different dimensions for two-photon imaging of breast cancer cells in the near IR region, superior to conventional organic fluorescence labels.…”

Nonlinear Optical Properties of Emerging Nano‐ and Microcrystalline Materials

“…A good example of that new emerging application of perovskites is the recent report by Pramanik and co-workers who developed fully biocompatible CsPbBr 3 nanomaterials with different morphologies by coating them with amine-poly(ethylene glycol)-propionic acid. [63] A traditional approach to functionalization of perovskite surface with biocompatible agents would be the exchange of the existing hydrophobic ligands on CsPbBr 3 surface to a biological surfactant along with transfer to the aqueous medium. Instead, a more complex strategy was employed which rests on the synthesis of non-luminescent 0D Cs 4 PbBr 6 NCs using hot injection method, followed by treatment with water of these NCs Adv.…”