Conjugated-polymer-based red-emitting nanoparticles for two-photon excitation cell imaging with high contrast.

Two-photon fluorescence microscopy is a widely used noninvasive bioimaging technique because of unique advantages such as a large penetration depth and 3D mapping capability. Ideal two-photon fluorophores require large two-photon absorption cross sections and red emission with high quantum yields. Here we report red-emitting-dye-doped conjugated polymer nanoparticles that display high two-photon excitation brightness. In these nanoparticles, conjugated polymer (PFV) was chosen as a two-photon light-harvesting material, and red-emitting dyes (MgPc and Nile red) were chosen as the energy acceptors and red-emitting materials. Two-photon excitation fluorescence of MgPc and Nile red was enhanced by up to ∼53 and ∼240 times, respectively. We have successfully demonstrated the application of these conjugated polymer-based nanoparticles in two-photon excitation cancer cell imaging with an excellent contrast ratio. This concept could become a general approach to the preparation of two-photon excitation red-emitting materials for deep-tissue live-cell imaging with high contrast.