TY - JOUR
T1 - Red-green-blue fluorescent hollow carbon nanoparticles isolated from chromatographic fractions for cellular imaging
AU - Gong, Xiaojuan
AU - Hu, Qin
AU - Paau, Man Chin
AU - Zhang, Yan
AU - Shuang, Shaomin
AU - Dong, Chuan
AU - Choi, Martin M.F.
N1 - Financial support from the Hundred Talent Programme of Shanxi Province, HKBU Faculty Research Grant (FRG1/13-14/039) and National Science Foundation of China (21175086) are gratefully acknowledged. We would express our sincere thanks to Ms Winnie Y. K. Wu of the Institute of Advanced Materials for taking the TEM images and Ms Silva T. Mo of the Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University for acquiring the MALDI-TOF MS. The TEM used in this work was supported by a Special Equipment Grant from the University Grants Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Grant SEG_HKBU06).
PY - 2014/7/21
Y1 - 2014/7/21
N2 - An as-synthesised hollow carbon nanoparticle (HC-NP) sample has been proved to be a relatively complex mixture, and its complexity can be reduced significantly by high-performance liquid chromatography. An unprecedented reduction in such complexity can reveal fractions of HC-NP with unique luminescence properties. While the UV-vis absorption profile for the HC-NP mixture is featureless, the HC-NP fractions do possess unique absorption bands and specific emission wavelengths. The HC-NP fractions are fully anatomised by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry, displaying their fragmentation mass ion features. The shell thickness and crystal lattices of the selected HC-NP fractions are determined as 6.13, 8.31, 2.22, and 8.66 nm, and 0.37, 0.35, 0.33, and 0.32 nm by transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The fractionated HC-NP show profound differences in emission quantum yield, allowing for brighter HC-NP to be isolated from an apparent low quantum yield mixture. Finally, red, green and blue emissive HC-NP are isolated from the as-synthesised HC-NP sample. They show good photostability and have been demonstrated to be excellent probes for cellular imaging.
AB - An as-synthesised hollow carbon nanoparticle (HC-NP) sample has been proved to be a relatively complex mixture, and its complexity can be reduced significantly by high-performance liquid chromatography. An unprecedented reduction in such complexity can reveal fractions of HC-NP with unique luminescence properties. While the UV-vis absorption profile for the HC-NP mixture is featureless, the HC-NP fractions do possess unique absorption bands and specific emission wavelengths. The HC-NP fractions are fully anatomised by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry, displaying their fragmentation mass ion features. The shell thickness and crystal lattices of the selected HC-NP fractions are determined as 6.13, 8.31, 2.22, and 8.66 nm, and 0.37, 0.35, 0.33, and 0.32 nm by transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The fractionated HC-NP show profound differences in emission quantum yield, allowing for brighter HC-NP to be isolated from an apparent low quantum yield mixture. Finally, red, green and blue emissive HC-NP are isolated from the as-synthesised HC-NP sample. They show good photostability and have been demonstrated to be excellent probes for cellular imaging.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84903650339&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1039/c4nr01453g
DO - 10.1039/c4nr01453g
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 24924531
AN - SCOPUS:84903650339
SN - 2040-3364
VL - 6
SP - 8162
EP - 8170
JO - Nanoscale
JF - Nanoscale
IS - 14
ER -