Side-Chain-Tuned Molecular Packing Allows Concurrently Boosted Photoacoustic Imaging and NIR-II Fluorescence

Yulin Zhu; Hanjian Lai; Heng Guo; Dinglu Peng; Liang Han; Ying Gu; Zixiang Wei; Duokai Zhao; Nan Zheng; Dehua Hu; Lei Xi; Feng He; Leilei Tian

doi:10.1002/anie.202117433

Side-Chain-Tuned Molecular Packing Allows Concurrently Boosted Photoacoustic Imaging and NIR-II Fluorescence

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2022 Apr 4;61(15):e202117433. doi: 10.1002/anie.202117433. Epub 2022 Feb 15.

Authors

Yulin Zhu^{1

2}, Hanjian Lai^{1

2}, Heng Guo³, Dinglu Peng³, Liang Han², Ying Gu², Zixiang Wei⁴, Duokai Zhao⁵, Nan Zheng⁶, Dehua Hu⁵, Lei Xi³, Feng He², Leilei Tian⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Nangang District, Harbin, 150001, P. R. China.
² Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, 1088 Xueyuan Blvd., Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, P. R. China.
³ Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, 1088 Xueyuan Blvd., Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, P. R. China.
⁴ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, 1088 Xueyuan Blvd., Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, P. R. China.
⁵ School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China.
⁶ Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China.

PMID: 35092125
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202117433

Abstract

It is generally considered that photoacoustic imaging (PAI) and fluorescence imaging (FLI) cannot be enhanced concurrently, as they are dependent on competitive photophysical processes at the single-molecule level. Herein, we reveal that BDTR9-OC8 and BDTR9-C8, which have identical π-conjugated backbones but are substituted by side chains of different rigidity, show distinct phototheranostic properties in the aggregated state. The NIR-II FLI and PAI brightness of BDTR9-C8 nanoparticles are enhanced by 4.6 and 1.4 times compared with BDTR9-OC8 nanoparticles. Theoretical calculations and GIWAXS analysis revealed that BDTR9-C8 with rigid side chains shows a relative amorphous condensed state, which will benefit the efficient transportation of photo-generated excitons and phonons, subsequently enhancing the FLI and PAI signals. Besides, both nanoparticles exhibit excellent photothermal conversion efficiency due to their strong light-harvesting capability and are considered effective photothermal therapy materials. This work provides an illuminating strategy for material design in the future.

Keywords: Imaging Agent; NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging; Photoacoustic Imaging; Photothermal Therapy; Semiconductors.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Nanoparticles* / chemistry
Nanotechnology
Optical Imaging
Photoacoustic Techniques* / methods
Phototherapy
Theranostic Nanomedicine / methods