Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry & Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710127, P. R. China.
Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Zhangjiang Laboratory, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2020 Jul 13;59(29):11836-11844. doi: 10.1002/anie.202003905. Epub 2020 May 12.
Fluorescent copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) have been widely used in chemical sensors, biological imaging, and light-emitting devices. However, individual fluorescent CuNCs have limitations in their capabilities arising from poor photostability and weak emission intensities. As one kind of aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen), the formation of aggregates with high compactness and good order can efficiently improve the emission intensity, stability, and tunability of CuNCs. Here, DNA nanoribbons, containing multiple specific binding sites, serve as a template for in situ synthesis and assembly of ultrasmall CuNCs (0.6 nm). These CuNC self-assemblies exhibit enhanced luminescence and excellent fluorescence stability because of tight and ordered arrangement through DNA nanoribbons templating. Furthermore, the stable and bright CuNC assemblies are demonstrated in the high-sensitivity detection and intracellular fluorescence imaging of biothiols.
荧光铜纳米团簇 (CuNCs) 在化学传感器、生物成像和发光器件等领域得到了广泛应用。然而，由于光稳定性差和发射强度弱，单个荧光 CuNCs 的性能存在一定局限性。作为一种聚集诱导发光材料 (AIEgen)，形成具有高致密性和良好有序性的聚集物可以有效地提高 CuNCs 的发射强度、稳定性和可调性。在这里，含有多个特异性结合位点的 DNA 纳米带作为原位合成和组装超小 CuNCs（0.6nm）的模板。由于通过 DNA 纳米带模板形成紧密有序的排列，这些 CuNC 自组装体表现出增强的发光和优异的荧光稳定性。此外，在生物硫醇的高灵敏度检测和细胞内荧光成像中，稳定且明亮的 CuNC 组装体得到了验证。
