Highly Photostable Research Articles

Effects of Backbone Planarity and Tightly Packed Alkyl Chains in the Donor–Acceptor Polymers for High Photostability

The photostability of donor–acceptor (D–A) polymers remains a critical issue despite recent improvements in the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. We report the synthesis of three highly photostable polymers (PDTBDT-BZ, PDTBDT-BZF, and PDTBDT-BZF2) and their suitability for use in high-performance OPV cells. Under 1 sunlight of illumination in air for 10 h, these polymer films demonstrated remarkably high photostability compared to that of PTB7, a representative polymer in the OPV field. While the PDTBDT-BZ, PDTBDT-BZF, and PDTBDT-BZF2 polymer films maintained 97, 90, and 96% photostability, respectively, a PTB7 film exhibited only 38% photostability under the same conditions. We ascribed the high photostability of the polymers to both the intrinsically photostable chemical moieties and the dense packing of alkyl side chains and planar backbone polymer chains, which prevents oxygen diffusion into the PDTBDT-BZ films. This work demonstrates the high photostability of planar PDTBDT-BZ series polymers composed of photostable DTBDT and BZ moieties and suggests a design rule to synthesize highly photostable photovoltaic materials.

A Highly Photostable Hyperbranched Polyglycerol-Based NIR Fluorescence Nanoplatform for Mitochondria-Specific Cell Imaging.

Considering the critical role of mitochondria in the life and death of cells, non-invasive long-term tracking of mitochondria has attracted considerable interest. However, a high-performance mitochondria-specific labeling probe with high photostability is still lacking. Herein a highly photostable hyperbranched polyglycerol (hPG)-based near-infrared (NIR) quantum dots (QDs) nanoplatform is reported for mitochondria-specific cell imaging. Comprising NIR Zn-Cu-In-S/ZnS QDs as extremely photostable fluorescent labels and alkyl chain (C12 )/triphenylphosphonium (TPP)-functionalized hPG derivatives as protective shell, the tailored QDs@hPG-C12 /TPP nanoprobe with a hydrodynamic diameter of about 65 nm exhibits NIR fluorescence, excellent biocompatibility, good stability, and mitochondria-targeted ability. Cell uptake experiments demonstrate that QDs@hPG-C12 /TPP displays a significantly enhanced uptake in HeLa cells compared to nontargeted QDs@hPG-C12 . Further co-localization study indicates that the probe selectively targets mitochondria. Importantly, compared with commercial deep-red mitochondria dyes, QDs@hPG-C12 /TPP possesses superior photostability under continuous laser irradiation, indicating great potential for long-term mitochondria labeling and tracking. Moreover, drug-loaded QDs@hPG-C12 /TPP display an enhanced tumor cell killing efficacy compared to nontargeted drugs. This work could open the door to the construction of organelle-targeted multifunctional nanoplatforms for precise diagnosis and high-efficient tumor therapy.

Imaging of nucleolar RNA in living cells using a highly photostable deep-red fluorescent probe

A new crescent-shape fluorescent probe (named here as CP) that selectively stains RNA in nucleoli of living cells is prepared. CP shows a deep-red emission (658nm) and a large Stokes shift because of the introduction of rigid-conjugated coumarin moiety into the molecular structure. Cell imaging experiments indicate that CP can rapidly stain nucleoli in living cells by binding with nucleolar RNA, showing performance superior to commercially available nucleoli dye SYTO RNASelect in terms of high photostability and selectivity. More significantly, these excellent properties together with low cytotoxicity enable CP to monitor nucleolar RNA changes during mitosis, and after treating with anti-cancer drugs cisplatin, actinomycin D and α-amanitin. Thus, CP could be a potential tool for real-time, long-term visualization of the dynamic changes for nucleolar RNA and evaluation of the therapeutic effect for anti-cancer drugs that targeted RNA polymerase I (Pol I).

Bacterially produced Pt-GFP as ratiometric dual-excitation sensor for in planta mapping of leaf apoplastic pH in intact Avena sativa and Vicia faba

BackgroundRatiometric analysis with H+-sensitive fluorescent sensors is a suitable approach for monitoring apoplastic pH dynamics. For the acidic range, the acidotropic dual-excitation dye Oregon Green 488 is an excellent pH sensor. Long lasting (hours) recordings of apoplastic pH in the near neutral range, however, are more problematic because suitable pH indicators that combine a good pH responsiveness at a near neutral pH with a high photostability are lacking. The fluorescent pH reporter protein from Ptilosarcus gurneyi (Pt-GFP) comprises both properties. But, as a genetically encoded indicator and expressed by the plant itself, it can be used almost exclusively in readily transformed plants. In this study we present a novel approach and use purified recombinant indicators for measuring ion concentrations in the apoplast of crop plants such as Vicia faba L. and Avena sativa L.ResultsPt-GFP was purified using a bacterial expression system and subsequently loaded through stomata into the leaf apoplast of intact plants. Imaging verified the apoplastic localization of Pt-GFP and excluded its presence in the symplast. The pH-dependent emission signal stood out clearly from the background. PtGFP is highly photostable, allowing ratiometric measurements over hours. By using this approach, a chloride-induced alkalinizations of the apoplast was demonstrated for the first in oat.ConclusionsPt-GFP appears to be an excellent sensor for the quantification of leaf apoplastic pH in the neutral range. The presented approach encourages to also use other genetically encoded biosensors for spatiotemporal mapping of apoplastic ion dynamics.

Highly photostable silicon(IV) phthalocyanines containing adamantane moieties: synthesis, structure, and properties

Two new axially disubstituted silicon(IV) phthalocyanines 1 and 2 have been synthesized by treating silicon phthalocyanine dichloride with 1-adamantanemethanol or 1-adamamtaneethanol, respectively. The crystal structure of compound 2 has been characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. Both compounds are efficient singlet-oxygen generator with a quantum yield of 0.40–0.43. With two rigid bulky adamantane moieties at the axial positions, these phthalocyanines not only are essentially non-aggregated in common solvents, but also exhibit a high photostability. They are about 100 times more stable than zinc phthalocyanine under the same irradiation conditions. With the goal of enhancing the biocompatibilities, interactions and conjugations of these two compounds with bovine serum albumin have also been investigated.

Preparation and enhanced photocatalytic oxidation activity of surface-modified CdS nanoparticles with high photostability

Highly photostable CdS nanoparticles modified with an alkyl group were prepared by an improved microemulsion technique using hexanethiol as cosurfactant. The surface-modified CdS nanoparticles catalyzed the photo-oxidation of 4-chlorophenol via continuously bubbling oxygen under uv light. The photocatalytic oxidation activity of the CdS nanoparticles was enhanced due to the formation of their compact CdS cores with strong chemical surface modification by heat treatment.