Enhanced single-particle brightness and photostability of semiconductor polymer dots by enzymatic oxygen scavenging system

Abstract

Semiconductor polymer dots (Pdots) are emerging as an excellent fluorescent probe in biology and medicine. However, the photostability of Pdots can't meet the requirements of long term single-particle imaging and tracking applications. Here we describe the enhanced single-particle brightness and photostability of Pdots by using an efficient enzymatic oxygen scavenging system (OSS). Pdots with particle diameters of 21 nm and 43 nm (PFBT21 and PFBT43) were prepared by a nanoprecipitation method. Single-particle imaging and photobleaching were performed to investigate the effect of OSS on the per-particle brightness and photostability of Pdots. Our results indicate that the single-particle brightness of the PFBT21 Pdots in OSS was enhanced nearly two times as compare to the PFBT21 Pdots in water. The photobleaching percentages of PFBT21 and PFBT43 in OSS were determined to be 29% and 33%, respectively. These values are decreased by 2–3 times as compared to those of the same Pdots in water, indicating the significantly improved photostability of Pdots by OSS. This study provides a promising approach for enhancing photostability of Pdots in long term single-particle tracking.