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In this work, a simple but effective method based on Gamma-ray initiated polymerization was reported for the first time through direct irradiation of CNCs and ionic liquid monomer to obtain poly (ionic liquids) functionalized CNCs (IL@CNCs). The adsorptive removal of Congo red (CR) from aqueous solution by IL@CNCs was also examined and the influence of contact time, pH values, initial concentrations and temperature on adsorption behavior was investigated in detail. Under the same adsorption conditions, the adsorption capacity was increased from 59.72 mg/g (CNCs) to 195.83 mg/g (IL@CNCs). The results of the adsorption isotherm and adsorption kinetics showed that the experimental data were more suitable to be described by the Freundlich isotherm adsorption model and the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption process of CR on the surface of the adsorbent was endothermic and spontaneous. When the aqueous solution was acidic, it was more conducive to the adsorption of CR. At 100% breakthrough, the value of adsorption capacity is 199.95 mg/g and the value of partition coefficient is 9.64. Moreover, the adsorption capacity is expected to be further improved through adjustment of polymerization parameters and this method can also be used for preparation other poly (ionic liquids) modified composites.

Transition-metal carbides, nitrides or carbonitrides (named as MXenes) are a novel type of two-dimensional (2D) materials with the features of traditional 2D materials but more variable chemical compositions. MXenes and related materials have raised more and more research attention and been extensively explored for different applications. In this work, we developed a novel method to synthesize magnetic MXene composites (Ti3C2-MNPs) for the first time through a one-pot route, which relied on the incorporation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles into Ti3C2 nanosheets via thermal treatment. The potential utilization of these Ti3C2-MNPs for catalytic degradation of organic dyes through advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) were also evaluated in details. We demonstrated that Fe3O4 nanoparticles with size about 5 nm could be anchored onto Ti3C2 with well dispersed state. The catalytic degradation results demonstrated that Ti3C2-MNPs possess extremely high degradation efficiency towards different organic dyes under optimal conditions. The electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra identified that both hydroperoxyl radicals (•OH) and superoxide radicals (•O2-) radicals were involved in the degradation process. This work reported a novel one-step method for fabrication MXenes based multifunctional composites, which show extremely high efficiency for AOPs. This method could also be extended for fabrication of many other multifunctional composites for various applications.

In recent years, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) based materials have attracted great research attention for different applications owing to their unique properties and facile modification chemistry. In this work, CNC based thermo-responsive fluorescent composites were successfully prepared via the metal-free surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of NIPAAm and a Schiff base containing dye (HDPAP). Results demonstrated CNC-poly (NIPAAm–HDPAP) composites display sensitive temperature-responsive coil-to-globule transition behavior at the temperature of lower critical solution temperature. The bright fluorescence offered by the Schiff base dye (HDPAP) was also confirmed by fluorescence spectra. Moreover, the preparation method of light meditated ATRP was proved to become the promising way in fabrication of multifunctional nanomaterials for its incomparable advantages, including low energy consumption, high efficiency, good monomer adaptation, free of transition metal ions.

Two demensional nanomaterials have attracted increasing research interest for various applications ranging from environmental adsorption, biomedical applications, catalytic degradation and energy storage owing to their high surface areas, facile surface functionalization. In this work, we demonstrated the preparation and environmental adsorption applications of 2D material MXenes through extracting Al layer from Ti3AlC2 in a simpler and safer way. The surface of Ti3C2 was modified with sulfonic groups via aromatic coupling-diazotization. The adsorption behavior and capacity of the Ti3C2 and functionalized Ti3C2 towards methylene blue (MB) were also examined and compared. The successful preparation of Ti3C2 and modified Ti3C2 was characterized by a number of techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The influence of different experiment conditions such as contact time, solution temperature, pH and initial MB concentrations on the adsorption behavior towards MB were also examined. The results demonstrated that sulfonic groups functionalized Ti3C2 (named as Ti3C2–SO3H) exhibited superior removal efficiency for MB. The maximum adsorption capacity of Ti3C2–SO3H towards MB is over four folds that of raw materials. The results of kinetics and isotherms studies demonstrated that experimental data were better described by pseudo-first-order model and Langmuir isotherm adsorption model, respectively. The process of MB onto surface of adsorbents was endothermic and spontaneous. Experimental details about pH indicated that the dye adsorption capability is favorable when the aqueous solution is alkaline. Based on the above results, cationic dye molecules were removed effectively by using Ti3C2–SO3H as adsorbent, which promotes the development of Ti3C2–SO3H for wastewater treatment.

In this work, we reported a novel “one-pot” strategy for preparation of chitosan-coated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composites via a combination of Diels-Alder (DA) reaction and mercaptoacetic acid locking imine (MALI) reaction for the first time. To evaluate the adsorption characteristics, the as-prepared samples were applied to remove copper ions (Cu2+) from aqueous solution. The effects of contact time, solution pH, temperature and initial Cu2+ concentration on the adsorption of Cu2+ onto the as-prepared samples were investigated. The chitosan modified CNTs composites showed high affinity and fast kinetics for the adsorption of Cu2+ ions, and adsorption capacity of the composites was found to be 2 times that of pristine CNTs. Adsorption kinetics and thermodynamic indicated a spontaneous and endothermic nature of the adsorption of Cu2+ on the surface of chitosan-coated CNTs composites, kinetically obeyed the pseudo-second-order model. Equilibrium data could be best described by the Langmuir isotherm model, with a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 115.84 mg/g. In view of the extensive applicability of DA chemistry and MALI reaction, different carbon nanomaterials based composites with various functional groups could be fabricated and applicable to different fields such as environmental catalysis and biomedicine.

Since the first discovery by Tang in 2001, aggregation-induced emission (AIE) phenomenon has attracted considerable research interest in various fields. In this contribution, AIE-active composites (named as An-HPG-β-CD) have been fabricated via conjugation of AIE-active compound An-B(OH)2 and hyperbranched polyglycerol functionalized β cyclodextrin (HPG-β-CD) based on dynamic phenyl borate for the first time. The potential biomedical applications of these AIE-active composites for biological imaging and drug delivery applications were further explored. The successful preparation of An-HPG-β-CD composites was confirmed through a series of characterization techniques. The An-HPG-β-CD composites possess great water dispersibility, low cytotoxicity, excellent fluorescence properties and uniform size and morphology, which make them promising for cell imaging. Furthermore, the cavities of An-HPG-β-CD composites could be utilized for loading with doxorubicin for drug delivery applications. In conclusion, we have developed a novel method for fabrication of AIE-active An-HPG-β-CD composites through formation of dynamic phenylboronic borate between β cyclodextrin containing hyperbranched polyglycerol and phenylboronic containing AIE dye. These AIE-active composites are of great potential in biological imaging and drug delivery applications.

Fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics have emerged as ideal probes in fluorescent imaging for visualization of complex biological processes by taking advantages of excellent optical properties, designability and biocompatibility. Significant progresses in the syntheses of AIE-active FONs open up new possibilities in biological applications, whereas, only limited attention was focused on the fabrication of biodegradable FONs through the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of AIE-active N-carboxyanhydrides (NCA) monomers. In this work, l -Cysteine (Cys) is functionalized with an AIE dye in the side chain, and then transformed into polymerizable NCA monomer with AIE feature. In the next step, amino-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was directly used to initiate the ROP of AIE-active NCA. The prepared amphiphilic copolymers contain hydrophilic PEG and hydrophobic AIE dye have a tendency to self-assemble into core-shell nanostructure. Results confirmed mPEG5000 Cys-Phe FONs owned high water dispersibility and excellent optical properties. Besides, biological evaluation results demonstrated that these AIE-active FONs possess good biocompatibility and fluorescent imaging performance. More importantly, the strategy also be extend for the preparation other polypeptides based fluorescent probes with desired structure and functions.

In this work, a novel imidazoles-MXene hybrid composite, namely polyimidazoles chain overlaying on the surface of MXene (Ti3C2@IMIZ), was prepared by a simple method. Through this strategy, imidazoles can be in situ growth on the surface of MXenes via a facile multicomponent reaction using chitosan as a renewable reactant. Based on the characterization results, we demonstrated that a thin layer imidazoles with an ordered chain structure was embedded on the surface of Ti3C2, which resulted in the formation of a novel imidazoles-MXene hybrid composite. The adsorption performance of Ti3C2@IMIZ for removal environmental pollutants was evaluated using heavy metal ions of Cr(Ⅵ) as adsorbate. Detailed adsorption characteristics of Ti3C2@IMIZ including operational factors, adsorption kinetics and isotherms models were investigated. XPS analysis showed that Cr(VI) was converted to Cr(III) with low toxicity during the adsorption process. The adsorption of Cr(VI) and reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) contribute to elimination of Cr(VI) species. The adsorption behavior and process analysis show that the adsorption mechanism is mainly physical adsorption through electrostatic interaction. The excellent reproducibility suggests that Ti3C2@IMIZ may be a potential candidate for remove of Cr(Ⅵ) in actual sewage treatment.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a rapidly expanding area which has attracted great research attention, and has emerged as a promising method for cancer treatment recently. PTT mainly relies on the local heating effect from photothermal agents (PTAs), which can transform the energy of light into heat. Various inorganic PTAs such as gold nanorods, carbon nanomaterials, layered transition metal dichalcogenides and various polymeric nanomaterials have been developed for PTT applications. However, inorganic PTAs are normally poorly biodegradable and potentially toxic. Polymeric PTAs possess many advantages in comparison with inorganic PTAs and have become the focus for PTT applications very recently. In this article, the recent advances and progress of polymers such as conjugated polymers and melanin-like polymers for PTT applications are introduced. The future direction, challenges and potential development of polymeric PTAs for efficient PTT are also addressed. The objective of this review is to give a brief overview of this emerging field to polymer chemists and material scientists.

The development of novel fluorescent nanoprobes has attracted great current research interest over the past few decades due to their superior optical properties and multifunctional capability as compared with small organic dyes. Although great advance has been made in the utilization of fluorescent nanoprobes for biomedical applications, development of novel fluorescent nanoprobes that possess good fluorescent properties, biocompatibility, biodegradability and water dispersibility through a convenient and effective route is still highly desirable. In this work, we reported for the first time that novel fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs) can be conveniently fabricated via self-polymerization of dopamine and polyethyleneimine at room temperature and in an air atmosphere within 2 h. These FONs exhibited strong green fluorescence, high water stability and excellent biocompatibility, making them highly potential for biological imaging applications. More importantly, due to the high reactivity of polydopamine, these FONs might also be further functionalized with other functional components through Michael addition or Schiff base reaction. Therefore the method described in this work would open new avenues for the fabrication of fluorescent nanoprobes for various biomedical applications.

Fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs) with aggregation induced emission (AIE) properties have recently emerged as one of the most promising luminescent nanomaterials for biomedical applications due to their unique AIE feature. In this study, we reported the preparation of AIE active FONs through mixing AIE dye (TPE-CHO), 3-aminobenzeneboronic acids (ABBA) and glucan in one-pot. ABBA acted as a molecular “bridge” to conjugate TPE-CHO with glucan via formation of a Schiff base and phenyl borate. The resultant products (Glu–TPE FONs) showed amphiphilic properties and could self-assemble into nanoparticles in an aqueous solution. Glu–TPE FONs showed strong luminescence intensity and high water dispersibility because of the AIE properties of TPE-CHO and hydrophilic nature of glucan. To examine the biomedical application potential of glucan–AIE FONs, the responsiveness, biocompatibility and cell uptake behavior of Glu–TPE FONs were subsequently examined. We demonstrated that Glu–TPE FONs possess good biocompatibility and can be potentially used for biological imaging applications. More importantly, it is well known that the Schiff base and phenyl borate can respond to pH and glucose. Therefore, Glu–TPE FONs can be used for the fabrication of multifunctional biomaterials with stimuli responsiveness.

As a member of nano-carbon compound, nanodiamonds (ND) with diverse structure, small size and relative low toxicity has been extensively explored for different applications especially as delivery vehicles for drugs. However, surface functionalization of ND with polymers is still required to overcome their poor water dispersibility and improve drug delivery performance. In this work, we reported a simple photocatalytic atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method for surface functionalization of ND by using FeBr3 as the photoredox catalyst. Owing to the introduction of water dispersible 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC), resultant NDs-MPC displayed improved water dispersibility and low toxicity. The anticancer agent DOX could be loaded on NDs-MPC efficiently and controlled release from ND-P-DOX complexes. The cell viability and cell imaging results demonstrated that DOX can be transported into cells and maintained its corresponding therapeutic effect. More importantly, as compared with traditional ATRP, photocatalytic ATRP could not only operate under rather mild conditions but also could avoid utilization of expensive and toxic agents. Considered the advantages of photocatalytic ATRP and ND, the method developed in this work could be a promising strategy for fabrication of multifunctional ND-based composites for different applications.

In this work, SiO2-ionic liquid (SiO2-PIL) composites were synthesized from amino groups containing SiO2 particles and imidazolium [C16VIm+] [Br-] (ionic liquid) by the nucleophilic Michael addition reaction and the utilization of the composites for adsorptive removal of anion dyes was also examined in details. The adsorption performance was greatly improved since the presence of ionic liquid, and the practical maximum adsorption capacity of dye can as high as 243.67 mg/g in a very short timeframe. The results of fitting experimental data illustrate the effects of contact time, solution temperature, dye concentration, and pH. The kinetic and isotherm study confirms the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir model, respectively. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity from Langmuir model can be as high as 2955.99 mg/g. The spontaneity and exothermicity of adsorption process can be also proved by data analysis. The novel method for fabrication of ionic liquid modified composites can be altered for environmental remediation or other practical application fields.

Tb3+-doped layered double hydroxides (LDHs) exhibit excellent optical characteristics, uniform size and uniform morphologies when synthesized through a hydrothermal method. However, due to their lack of functional groups and poor dispersibility, applications of these fluorescent Tb3+-doped LDHs have been largely impeded especially in the biomedical fields. In this work, a novel strategy was developed for the surface modification of these fluorescent Tb3+-doped LDHs using photoinduced surface-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization with hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) as the monomer. The final products were obtained via the metal free surface-initiated RAFT polymerization with light irradiation. Successful preparation of these fluorescent LDHs polymer composites (LDH-PEG) was confirmed by a number of analytical technologies, such as transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. In addition, laser scanning confocal microscope was employed to examine the cell uptake behavior of the LDH-PEG composites and evaluate their potential for biomedical applications. We demonstrated that the hydrophilic monomer PEGMA could be facilely grafted on the surface of Tb3+-doped LDHs through metal free photoinduced surface-initiated RAFT polymerization. The resultant LDH-PEG composites displayed high water dispersibility, strong fluorescence, low cytotoxicity and a desirable cell uptake performance. These features of the LDH-PEG composites indicated their great potential for biomedical applications. More importantly, photoinduced RAFT polymerization has the advantages of a conventional controlled living radical polymerization, which could overcome drawbacks such as toxicity, the fluorescence quenching effects of metal catalysts and the complex synthesis of chain transfer agents. Therefore, this method could be an alternative tool for the surface modification of materials and fabrication of multifunctional fluorescent nanomaterials based polymer composites.

Silica quantum dots (SiQDs) and their luminescent composites have displayed great potential for biomedical applications owing to their chemical inert and low cost. In this work, we report a facile, cost-effective and ultrafast strategy to prepare a stable luminescent SiQDs using N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine (EDAS) and salicylaldehyde as precursors for the first time. These luminescent SiQDs were further utilized for fabrication of luminescent mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) through direct encapsulation of SiQDs by MSNs. The novel synthetic and modified SiQDs uses commercial raw materials and the entire reaction can be completed within 30 s. The successful preparation of SiQDs and SiQDs@MSNs were characterized by various characterization equipments. The cell viability as well as cell uptake behavior of SiQDs@MSNs were also examined to evaluate their potential for biomedical applications. We demonstrated that these SiQDs@MSNs are low toxicity and of great potential for biological imaging. Based on the above results, we believe that these SiQDs@MSNs should be novel and promising candidates for biomedical applications owing to their intense fluorescence, biocompatibility and high specific surface areas.

Two dimensional nanomaterials have attracted great interest for diverse applications due to their unique structure feature, small size and high specific surface areas. Among them, the two-dimensional metal dichalcogenides have recently emerged as the outstanding ones for various applications ranged from biosensing, energy conversion and storage, and cancer photothermal treatment. In this work, a fast, facile and environmentally benign microwave irradiation method was developed to fabricate MoS2-PDA-Ag nanocomposites. To obtain MoS2-PDA-Ag nanocomposites, MoS2 nanosheets were first coated with polydopamine (PDA) films via self-polymerization of dopamine in alkaline aqueous solution. Then Ag nanoparticles were facilely deposed onto the surface of MoS2-PDA via in situ reduction by using microwave irradiation. Here, the PDA thin films were as the ad-layers for reduction and stabilizing the Ag nanoparticles simultaneously. The successful preparation of MoS2-PDA-Ag nanocomposites was characterized by means of transmission electron microscope, thermogravimetry analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We demonstrated that MoS2-PDA-Ag nanocomposites can be facilely fabricated via combination of mussel inspired chemistry and microwave irradiation. The resultant composites exhibited high catalytic activity towards 4-nitrophenol reduction and great antibacterial activity compared with pure MoS2 and MoS2-PDA.

In recent years, florescent polymeric nanoparticles (FPNs) containing aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorogens have received great intention for their potential applications in biological imaging and theranostic nanomedicine. Herein, we have developed AIE-active FPNs through a combination of reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and post-polymerization modification strategies. The salicylaldehyde (SA) containing zwitterionic copolymers are fabricated via RAFT polymerization and further modified by benzophenone hydrazone (BPH) via Schiff base reaction. The obtained AIE-active amphiphilic copolymers BPH-poly(FHMA-co-MPC) can self-assemble in aqueous solution with the hydrophobic fluorogens aggregating together to form the core and the hydrophilic chains to form the protective shell. BPH-poly(FHMA-co-MPC) and the resulting FPNs are characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Results demonstrate that BPH-poly(FHMA-co-MPC) are successfully synthesized and as-prepared BPH-poly(FHMA-co-MPC) FPNs exhibit desirable morphology and size, good dispersibility, high brightness, remarkable photostability and large Stokes shifts. More importantly, through cytotoxicity test and cell uptake behavior, these BPH-poly(FHMA-co-MPC) FPNs show low toxicity and excellent cell dyeing behavior. Taken together, we have developed a facile and effective method for the fabrication of AIE-active FPNs, which display great potential for biomedical applications.

A novel and facile strategy that combination of surface ligand exchange and photo-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) has been developed for the preparation of fluorescent hydroxyapatite (HAp) based polymer composites, which were utilized for biological imaging applications. In particular, the photo-initiated ATRP not only inherited advantages of traditional ATRP but also overcome its deficiencies such as high energy consumption, transition metal contamination and long reaction time. In this method, a hydrophilic and biocompatible PEGMA was introduced to enhance the hydrophilic and biocompatibility of HAp nanocomposites. Simultaneously, the HAp-poly(PEGMA-co-AcFl) composites are endowed with bright green fluorescence by grafting with AcFl on the surface via copolymerization. The physicochemical properties of HAp-poly(PEGMA-co-AcFl) composites were characterized by a series of methods in detail. Results confirmed that HAp-poly(PEGMA-co-AcFl) composites possess controlled size and morphology, high water dispersibility and strong fluorescence. The cell viability and cell uptake behavior demonstrated that HAp-poly(PEGMA-co-AcFl) composites present low toxicity and can be potentially used for biological imaging. Taken together, we have developed a facile and efficient method for the fabrication of fluorescent HAp composites with desirable physicochemical and biological properties.

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is an abnormal phenomenon, which has been extensively explored for various applications. Taken advantage of the unique AIE feature, a number of luminescent nanoprobes with strong fluorescence intensity could thus be fabricated through different strategies; however, the fabrication of AIE-active carbohydrate polymers is still challenge owing to the poor solubility of carbohydrate polymers in most of organic solvents. In this work, a rather facile strategy has been developed for fabricating AIE-active sodium hyaluronate (Sh) through the formation of dynamic phenyl borate between the phenylboronic acid groups of AIE dye (An-B(OH)2)) and Sh in a “one-pot” route. This reaction could occur under low temperature, air atmosphere and in the present water. The physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, biological imaging and drug delivery performance of the final An-Sh fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FNPs) were confirmed by different characterization techniques. Results suggested that An-Sh FNPs possess high water dispersibility, strong fluorescence, and good biocompatibility. These excellent properties make An-Sh FNPs great potential for biological imaging and controlled drug delivery applications. In conclusion, we have developed a facile one-pot strategy for the preparation of AIE-active FNPs through the formation of dynamic bonds in rather mild experimental conditions. The outstanding properties and performance of An-Sh FNPs make them promising candidates for biological imaging and controlled drug delivery applications.

Mesoporous silicon nanoparticles (MSNs) have gradually developed into the multi-functional platforms in biomedical fields for their properties of high specific surface areas, regular mesoporous structure, low toxicity, chemical inert and facile functionalization. MSNs based fluorescent nanoprobes have been extensively investigated previously and many effective methods have been devoted to simplify the fabrication process. In this work, the MSNs based fluorescent polymer composites were prepared by a facile and effective reversible addition−fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization with the assistance by visible light irradiation, which could conduct in the presence of oxygen without complicated deoxygenation steps. A series of characterization techniques were employed to determine the successful synthesis of our preconceived MSNs-co-poly(MPC–AcFl) composites. Besides, the bright green fluorescence was observed in live L929 cells through CLSM, and cell viability evaluation was revealed that these as prepared composites were nearly no damage to cells. Combined with all the above results, the as prepared MSNs-co-poly(MPC–AcFl) composites should promising fluorescent nanoprobes for biomedical applications. Owing to the good monomer adoptability, the photoinduced oxygen tolerance RAFT polymerization could also be expanded for surface modification and construction of multifunctional composites.

Lanthanide-doped nanoprobes have received significant attentions for utilization in biological sensing and imaging due to their unique optical properties. However, only few works were focused on fabrication of europium complexes based fluorescence polymeric nanoparticles (FPNs) with excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, we fabricated the FPNs (named as Eu(TTA)3Phen-GluEG FPNs) with encapsulated europium complexes which show low cytotoxicity, high sensitivity and deep penetration. Free amine group present on europium complexes initiated the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of side-chain modified glutamic acid NCAs, offering a simple and effective method to prepare europium core FPNs with a uniform size distribution. Europium (III) chelates were furnished with a functional polyamino acid shell to fabricate biocompatible and biodegradable FPNs. Biological evaluation results demonstrate that such fabricated FPNs process excellent biocompatibility and dyeing performance. Therefore, we can expect that the fabrication approach will attract much research interest and effort on the preparation of biodegradable probes for various biological applications.

Over the past decades, graphene oxide (GO) and its composites with organic and inorganic components have gradually become one of the most popular carbon nanomaterials, on account of multitudinous advantages, including great conductivity, excellent thermal stability and large specific surface area. In particular, the magnetic GO based composites have been extensively investigated for various applications owing to their combined advantages from both GO and magnetic nanoparticles. Although many strategies have been developed for preparation of magnetic GO based composites, a facile and efficient strategy is still rarely reported. In this work, we developed a direct, ultrafast, green and non-toxic strategy for scalable production of GO–Fe3O4 hybrids for the first time. Compared with conventional preparation methods, this strategy only requires a simple one-step reaction and would produce no pollutants in the whole reaction process. Furthermore, it could convincingly demonstrate the successful preparation of GO–Fe3O4 hybrids with outstanding properties through a series of characterization techniques. Finally, the outstanding performance of GO–Fe3O4 hybrids in adsorption experiments has been also demonstrated. Results indicated that these GO–Fe3O4 composites are potentially used for environmental adsorption.

Poly(NIPAM-AcFl)/SiO2 nanomaterials were successfully prepared through a convenient oxygen tolerance light-induced RAFT polymerization. The successful preparation of the resulting Poly(NIPAM-AcFl)/SiO2 nanocomposites have been confirmed based on various characterization data. These Poly(NIPAM-AcFl)/SiO2 nanocomposites showed temperature responsive coil-to-globule transition behavior in aqueous solution, because of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic transformation of the H-bond when the temperature was greater than the lower critical solution temperature (LCST). More importantly, this facile RAFT polymerization based on photocatalysis would pave the way for the fabrication of other polymer/inorganic nanomaterials with great application potential in different fields. Compared with the traditional surface-initiated radical polymerization, our method possesses the advantages of no metal contamination, room temperature reaction condition and the oxygen tolerance properties could be the promising facile way for preparation of various nanocomposites.

Carbon-based fluorescent nanoparticles are considered to be new promising nontoxic fluorescence probes which suitable for various bioimaging and biomedical applications. However, the synthesis and production of such high-quality fluorescent carbon-based nanoparticles is still challenging, and its most application potential is unexplored. In this work, we introduce a facile light-induced surface-initiated atomic transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) method to fabricate the nanodiamonds (NDs) based fluorescence probes in the absence of transition metal ligands. In this sample way, the Fluorescein was employed and played the role as the fluorescent signal and photocatalyst simultaneously for its photochemical property. Besides, the poor dispersibility of pristine NDs was also obviously improved by modifying with PEGMA, and the modified NDs (FNDs-polyPEGMA) display good dispersion and biocompatibility via characterization methods. A series of characterization techniques were also carried out to confirm the successful fabrication of fluorescent NDs after polymerization. Through our investigation, the as prepared FNDs-polyPEGMA nanoparticles with high dispersibility and stable green fluorescence could be the potentially used fluorescent probes in biomedical application.

(Zn/Al) layered double hydroxide (LDH) based fluorescence probes have been facilely fabricated via photo-induced surface-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, which demonstrated green fluorescence, good biocompatibility and excellent dispersion performance in aqueous solution. The as prepared (Zn/Al)LDH polymeric composites were modified with 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC), acrylic acid (AA) and diacroloyl-fluorescein (Ac-Fl). Among them, the comonomers MPC and AA were used to endow their water dispersibility, biocompatibility and potential drug carriers, while the Ac-Fl was served both as the fluorescence signal and photocatalyst for RAFT polymerization. A series of characterization methods, including 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electronic microscopy, thermogravimetric analyses, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to conform the successful of surface modification of LDH through photo-induced surface-initiated RAFT polymerization. Besides, UV-vis absorption spectra and fluorescence spectra were adopted to evaluate the optical characteristics of as prepared (Zn/Al)LDH-co-Poly(MPC-AA-Fl) composites, which exhibited high intense green fluorescence. Furthermore, the endocytosis behavior indicates that (Zn/Al)LDH-co-Poly(MPC-AA-Fl) composites could be potentially used in cell imaging and even drug delivery application for their excellent biocompatibility and all advantages described above.

Recently, fullerene (C60) and its derivatives have been widely explored for many applications owing to their enriched physical and chemical properties. Specifically, the synthesis and biomedical applications of fluorescent C60 have been extensively investigated previously. However, the preparation of polymer-functionalized fluorescent C60 has not been reported thus far. In this study, water-dispersible fluorescent C60 polymer composites were successfully synthesized through the combination of the thiol-ene click reaction and subsequent ring-opening polymerization. First, 2-aminoethanethiol was introduced on the surface of C60 by the thiol-ene click reaction. The surface of amino group-functionalized C60 (C60-NH2) was further modified with poly(amino acid)s via ring-open polymerization of GluEG N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs). The morphology, functional groups, optical properties and biocompatibility were examined by a number of characterization equipment and assays in detail. We demonstrated that the resultant fluorescent C60 poly(amino acid) (C60-GluEG) composites have a small size (about 5 nm), high water dispersibility, intense fluorescence and high photostability. Cell viability results implied that the C60-GluEG composites possess low cytotoxicity. Moreover, these C60-GluEG composites can easily penetrate into live cells, indicating their great potential for biological imaging applications.

Nanodiamond (ND)-based fluorescent probes have been extensively researched in cell imaging applications. Several outstanding properties of fluorescent NDs (FNDs), such as their excellent biocompatibility, intensive fluorescence and chemical stability in organisms, have made them the most promising carbon materials in biomedicine. However, the production of FNDs with nitrogen-vacancy defect centers was rather complicated and costly, which limited their wide application in the biomedical field. Moreover, the particle size of these types of FNDs was much larger than that of NDs produced by the detonation method; thus, it is difficult for them to penetrate the cell membrane. In this present work, a facile and ultrafast photo-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization was introduced for the fabrication of FND-based polymer composites. The photo-initiated RAFT polymerization is time saving, environmentally friendly and highly efficient. To prepare these FNDs, fluorescein was converted into diacryloyl fluorescein (AcFl), which was used not only as the photocatalyst but also a fluorescent comonomer. The functional monomer 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) was introduced to improve the water dispersibility of the FNDs. The successful fabrication of FNDs-polyMPC composites was proven by a series of characterization methods. These FNDs-polyMPC composites show high water dispersibility, strong fluorescence and low toxicity. The cell uptake behavior suggested that FNDs-polyMPC composites can be facilely internalized by cells. Taken together, FNDs-polyMPC composites can be fabricated by a photo-initiated RAFT polymerization. These FNDs-polyMPC composites possess excellent physicochemical and biological properties and are promising candidates for cell imaging applications.

Graphene oxide (GO) and its related composites have been extensively studied for various applications due to their unique two-dimensional structure and promising performance. In this study, we reported for the first time that polyimidazole-modified GO composites (abbreviated as PILGO) could be successfully fabricated through the combination of thiol-ene click and Radziszewski reactions. Functionalized GO composites were characterized by a series of techniques, such as nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, and the adsorption behaviour of these PILGO composites towards Congo red (CR, an anionic dye) was investigated in detail. We demonstrated that the adsorption capacity of PILGO was significantly improved as compared with that of pristine GO. The maximum uptake performance of PILGO was up to 191.9 mg g−1 with a near-saturation state achieved in the first 5 min. The adsorption equilibrium data were better fitted through the pseudo-second-order model, while the adsorption isotherm data were better correlated with the Freundlich and Tempkin models. The adsorption affinity between CR and PILGO was positively related to the solution pH. The adsorption mechanism between CR molecules and composite material was further put forward, and it included electrostatic attraction, π-π stacking and hydrogen bond interactions. Competitive adsorption and cycling experiments further demonstrated that PILGO composites can be used as clean, efficient and novel adsorbents in wastewater treatment.

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) dyes based fluorescent polymeric nanoparticles (FNPs) have been intensively explored for biomedical applications. However, many of these AIE-active FNPs are relied on the self-assembly of amphiphilic copolymers, which are not stable in diluted solution. Therefore, the introduction of cross-linkages into these micelles has demonstrated to be an efficient route to overcome this stability problem and endow ultra-low critical micelle concentrations (CMC) of these AIE-active FNPs. In this work, we reported the fabrication of cross-linked AIE-active FNPs through controllable reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization by using commercially available octavinyl-T8-silsesquioxane (8-vinyl POSS) as the cross-linkage for the first time. The resultant cross-linked amphiphilic copolymers (named as PEG-POSS-PhE) are prone to self-assemble into stable core–shell nanoparticles with well water dispersity, strong red fluorescence and low CMC (0.0069 mg mL−1) in aqueous solution. More importantly, PEG-POSS-PhE FNPs possess some other properties such as high water dispersity, uniform morphology and small size, excellent biocompatibility and cellular internalization, providing great potential of PEG-POSS-PhE FNPs for biological imaging application.

Fluorescent polymeric nanoparticles (FPNs) as novel theranostic agents for cancer diagnosis and treatment have been widely investigated in recent years. However, most FPNs were constructed with typical inorganic quantum dots, fluorescent proteins, and conventional organic dyes, which have still suffered from many obstacles such as serious cytotoxicity, easy enzymolysis, and vicious aggregation-caused fluorescence quenching (ACQ). Herein, to overcome these problems, we design and synthesize novel FPNs with a unique aggregation-induced emission (AIE) feature using resourceful and cost-effective oxidized sodium alginate (OSA) as natural polymer protected shells of FPNs. Moreover, differing from commercial or synthetic polymers such as PEG, BSA, and lecithin, sodium alginate from marine seaweeds is a cheaper, abundant source and excellent has biocompatibility. Thus-prepared AIE-active OSA-Phe-OSA FPNs by the facile Schiff base condensation have many advantages, such as strong fluorescence, great water dispers...

The poly(amino acid)s based biomaterials have attracted great research attention over the past few decades because of their biocompatibility, biodegradability and well designability. Although much progress has achieved in the synthesis and biomedical applications of poly(amino acid)s, the synthesis of luminescent poly(amino acid)s has been rarely reported. In this work, novel amphiphilic luminescent poly(amino acid)s with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) feature have been synthesized by a new approach of controlling N-carboxy anhydride (NCA) ring-opening polymerization, in which hydrophobic 2-(4-aminophenyl)-3-(10-hexadecyl-4H-phenothiazin-3-yl)acrylonitrile (Phe-NH2) with AIE feature was used as initiator and hydrophilic oligomeric glycol functionalized glutamate (OEG-glu) NCA was acted as monomer. The successful synthesis of final Phe-OEG-Pglu polymers was confirmed by different characterization techniques. Phe-OEG-Pglu polymers possess amphiphilic properties and can self-assemble into luminescent polymeric nanoparticles (LPNs). Based on cellular imaging experiments, we demonstrated that Phe-OEG-Pglu LPNs have great potential for bio-imaging applications due to their attractive properties including strong fluorescence intensity, great water dispersibility, excellent biocompatibility and high cellular uptake efficiency.

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) active fluorescent polymeric nanoparticles (FPNs) have recently emerged as the promising nanoprobes for biological imaging for their intensive fluorescence, good photostability, desirable biocompatibility and well designability of structure and optical properties. Herein, we proposed a novel strategy for fabrication of AIE-active FPNs through the post modification of synthetic copolymers to form Schiff base. The size, morphology, optical properties and biocompatibility as well as cell uptake behavior were evaluated in detailed. To fabricate these AIE-active FPNs, poly(PEG-co-VA) copolymers were first obtained via addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization using poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) and 3-vinylaniline (VA) as the monomers. Then the AIE-active SA-poly(PEG-co-VA) FPNs were formed through the reaction between salicylaldehyde (SA) and VA. Results demonstrated that SA-poly(PEG-co-VA) FPNs possess bright fluorescence, superior photo-bleaching resistance, excellent biocompatibility and efficient cell uptake behavior. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report for fabrication AIE-active FPNs through post modification of synthetic copolymers. The facile fabrication procedure and the remarkable features suggested that these AIE-active FPNs promising candidates for biomedical applications.

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) active fluorescence polymeric nanoparticles (FPNs) have recently received increasing interests for biomedical applications such as cell imaging, drug delivery, disease diagnosis and treatment. Fabricated strategies of AIE-active FPNs with high efficiency, simplification and tenderness are still passionately pursued to promote the development of theranostic systems. In this work, we develop a facile method for the preparation of AIE-active FPNs by adopting Ce(IV)/HNO3 redox polymerization under near room temperature. Thus-prepared FPNs (named as PEG-PLC-1) possess unique AIE feature, great water dispersity, excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability because of the conjugation of ultra-bright AIE dye (PhE-alc) and biodegradable PEG-PCL linear copolymers. The 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Visible and fluorescence spectrometers were used to confirm the successful fabrication of AIE-active FPNs. Cell viability and cellular uptake behavior of PEG-PLC-1 FPNs were further investigated for their potential biomedical applications. Results demonstrated that PEG-PLC-1 FPNs are high water dispersity, intensive luminescence and low cytotoxicity, making them very attractive for biomedical applications. More importantly, the method for the fabrication of AIE-active biodegradable FPNs can be occurred under rather facile conditions (e.g., low temperature, free of metal catalysts, common chain transfer agent and aqueous solution) and are specially used for fabrication of AIE-active polysaccharides with poor organic solubility.

Monodispersed SiO 2 particles functionalized with cationic polymers poly-((3-acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride) (PAPTCl) were prepared using mussel inspired surface modification strategy and surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and zeta potential were employed to characterize these SiO 2 samples. The adsorption performance of the functionalized SiO 2 (donated as SiO 2 -PDA-PAPTCl) towards anionic organic dye Congo red (CR) was investigated to evaluate their potential environmental applications. We demonstrated that the surface of SiO 2 particles can be successfully functionalized with cationic PAPTCl. The adsorption capability of as-prepared SiO 2 was found to increases from 28.70 and 106.65 mg/g after surface grafted with cationic polymers. The significant enhancement in the adsorption capability of SiO 2 -PDA-PAPTCl is mainly attributed to the introduction of cationic polymers. More importantly, this strategy is expected to be promising for fabrication of many other functional polymer nanocomposites for environmental applications due to the universality of mussel inspired chemistry and well designability and good monomer adaptability of SI-ATRP.

We reported a simple and efficient method to prepare the hydrophilic luminescent HAp polymer nanocomposites through the combination of ligand exchange and metal free light initiated surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) using 10-phenylphenothiazine (PTH) as organic catalyst and 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) and itaconic acid (IA) as monomers. The biological imaging and drug delivery performance of HAp-poly(MPC-IA) nanorods were examined to evaluate their potential for biomedical applications. Results suggested that hydrophilic HAp-poly(MPC-IA) nanorods can be successfully prepared. More importantly, the HAp-poly(MPC-IA) exhibited excellent water dispersibility, desirable biocompatibility and good performance for biological imaging and controlled drug delivery applications. As compared with other controlled living polymerization reactions, the metal free light initiated SI-ATRP displayed many advantages such as easy for handle, mild reaction conditions, toxicity and fluorescence quenching from metal catalysts. Therefore, we believe that this strategy should be a useful and effective strategy for preparation of HAp nanomaterials for biomedical applications.

Fluorescent nanodiamond (FND) has received increasing research interests for bioimaging and drug delivery owing its outstanding physicochemical properties and low toxicity. However, synthesis of FND in large scale with desirable optical property is still a big challenge. In this work, we reported for the first time that non-fluorescent ND can be facilely converted into FND through surface modified with aggregation-induced emission fluorophore containing luminescent polymers through the microwave-assisted typical Diels-Alder (D-A) reaction. The final FND (named as ND-poly(Phe-PEGMA-IA)) displayed extensive fluorescence, high water dispersibility and desirable biocompatibility. Cell imaging results demonstrated ND-poly(Phe-PEGMA-IA) exhibited great stain performance. Furthermore, anticancer drug (cisplatin, DDP) can be effectively loaded onto ND-poly(Phe-PEGMA-IA) and controlled release it under acidic environment. All of these favorable properties endow ND-poly(Phe-PEGMA-IA) great potential for biological tracing and controlled drug delivery. Taken together, we have developed a microwave-assisted D-A reaction for preparation of multifunctional FND with great potential for biological imaging and controlled drug delivery applications.

In recent years, aggregation-induced emission (AIE) dyes based fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs) have achieved significant progress in various biomedical applications. In this work, we developed a covalent strategy to prepare biocompatible AIE-active dyes based cross-linked copolymers (MPC-POSS-PhE) via controllable reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using zwitterionic 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC), polymerizable AIE dye (named as PhE) and 8-vinyl polyoctahedral silsesquioxanes (POSS) as monomers. Due to the existence of hydrophilic MPC and hydrophobic PhE, the resultant copolymers will self-assemble into core-shell nanoparticles in aqueous solution with ultra-low critical micelle concentration (CMC). This could effectively overcome the drawbacks of non-crosslinked micelles and show more attractive properties and better performance for biomedical applications. Furthermore, the characterization results and biological assays demonstrated that the final MPC-POSS-PhE FONs show stable aqueous stability, uniform size and morphology, high water dispersity, desirable optical properties and low cytotoxicity. These remarkable properties make the resultant AIE-active nanoprobes great potential for biomedical applications.

Mussel-inspired chemistry has recently emerged as one of the most important and interest surface modification method owing to its gentle experiment conditions, high modification efficiency and universality. The mussel-inspired chemistry is mainly relied on the adhesion of dopamine toward various materials and surfaces. In recent years, great efforts have been devoted to understanding the adhesion mechanism of mussel and extending its applications in different fields. In this mini-review, we present the very recent development of mussel-inspired fabrication of functional materials for environmental applications. The surface modification strategies that based on mussel-inspired chemistry were outlined in the first part. The environmental applications (e.g. oil/water separation, environmental adsorption and catalysts) based on these functional materials are also highlighted in the following sections. Although many advances have been achieved, there still have a plenty of spaces for further development of mussel-inspired surface chemistry for functional materials and their environmental applications.

The luminescent polymeric nanoparticles (LPNs) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties have emerged as one of the most promising nanoprobes for their unique optical properties. The typical optical feature of AIE-active LPNs should be their obviously enhanced luminescence in aggregation or solid state, which can effectively overcome aggregation caused quenching effects of conventional organic dyes. In this study, we reported for the first time that highly emissive LPNs (named as TPE-E-PAMAM) can be simply fabricated via direct conjugation of tetraphenylethene derivative (TPE-E) with polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers, which relied on a one-step Michael addition reaction between ene group of TPE-E and amino group of PAMAM dendrimers under rather mild experimental conditions. Because of the strong intermolecular interaction of TPE-E PAMAM copolymers, they can form compact spheres in water and exhibit strong fluorescence in aqueous solution. TPE-E PAMAM LPNs possess high water dispersity, uniform morphology and desirable biocompatibility for biological imaging. More importantly, with large numbers of amino groups on the shell and valid space in the core, PAMAM-TPE-E LPNs have great potential for targeted gene delivery. Taken together, we described a facile one-step covalent strategy for developing AIE-active amphipathic dendrimers, which showed great potential for biomedicine applications.

In this study, we developed a new procedure to prepare monodispersed functionalized SiO2 (SiO2-PDA-PDMC) composites via mussel inspired chemistry and surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). Samples were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements. TEM results showed that spherical morphology was unchanged after the functionalization. FT-IR results confirmed the successful modification with polydopamine (PDA) and the presence of poly-([2-(Methacryloyloxy) ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride) (PDMC) layer on the surface of SiO2 spheres. TGA data showed that the PDMC account for about 12.12 wt% in the sample of SiO2-PDA-PDMC composites. The XPS analysis further confirmed the existence of PDMC on the surface of SiO2-PDA-PDMC composites. The obtained SiO2-PDA-PDMC composites were used as adsorbent for the removal of Congo red (CR) from aqueous solution to evaluate the performance in environment application. The effect of contact time, solution pH, initial CR concentration and temperature on the adsorption of CR onto SiO2-PDA-PDMC composites was investigated. Adsorption results demonstrated that adsorption of CR onto SiO2-PDA-PDMC composites was a fast and efficient process. The adsorption equilibrium reached within 60 min, and the adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order model. The experimental data of isotherms were better described by the Freundlich model. Thermodynamic study depicted the endothermic nature of adsorption and the process was spontaneous. Results from the effect of solution pH on the CR adsorption showed that the acidic condition favors the adsorption and provided evidence for the contribution of PDMC on the SiO2-PDA-PDMC composites in the removal of CR. This study suggests SiO2-PDA-PDMC composites can be developed as a new adsorbent for the removal of anionic dyes from aqueous solution.

Fluorescent silica nanoparticles (FSNPs) have been extensively investigated for various biomedical applications in recently years. However, the aggregation of organic dyes in silica nanoparticles also leads the significant fluorescence quenching owing to the aggregation caused quenching effects of organic dyes. Herein, we developed a rather facile strategy to fabricate FSNPs with desirable fluorescent properties through non-covalent incorporation of fluorophores with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) feature into silica nanoparticles, which were subsequently modified with functional polymers. The resultant FSNPs polymer nanocomposites (named as FSNPs-poly(IA-co-PEGMA)) exhibited uniform spherical morphology, high water dispersiity, and bright red fluorescence. Cytotoxicity results indicate that FSNPs-poly(IA-co-PEGMA) possess excellent biocompatibility. Cell uptake behavior suggests FSNPs-poly(IA-co-PEGMA) are of great potential for biological imaging applications. Taken together, we have reported a facile method for the fabrication of FSNPs through non-covalent encapsulation using an AIE-active dye. These FSNPs can be further functionalized with functional polymers through ring-opening reaction and the resultant FSNPs-poly(IA-co-PEGMA) showed great potential for biological imaging. More importantly, we believe that many other functional components could also be integrated into these FSNPs through the facile ring-opening reaction. Therefore, this method should be a facile and general tool for fabrication of polymer functionalized AIE-active FSNPs.

Amphiphilic molecules with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics have attracted intensive interest for biological imaging applications for their self-assembly into nanostructures and obvious enhanced fluorescence intensity in aqueous solution. Although many AIE-active fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs) have been fabricated recently, the direct linkage of hydrophilic small molecules and hydrophobic AIE dyes has rarely been reported. In this work, we reported a one-pot strategy for preparation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) containing molecules that conjugated the amino group of ATP and aldehyde-terminated AIE dye (PhCHO) based on mercaptoacetic acid locking imine (MALI) reaction. These AIE-active ATP-PhCHO showed amphiphilic properties and could self-assemble into micelles, which displayed high water dispersibility, strong yellow fluorescence, good biocompatibility and biological imaging capability. These advantages make ATP-PhCHO FONs promising for biomedical applications.

The Eu3+ doped luminescent hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanorods with uniform size and morphology can be synthesized by hydrothermal route. However, these HAp nanorods are coated by hydrophobic oleylamine, which makes them difficult to be dispersed in aqueous solution and impede their biomedical applications. In this work, Eu3+ doped luminescent polymers functionalized HAp nanorods were prepared through the combination of ligand exchange reaction and metal free surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method. In this procedure, the amino group functionalized HAp nanorods were first prepared by ligand exchange reaction using adenosine monophosphate (AMP) as ligand. Then the Br-containing initiators (HAp-Br) were introduced onto the surface of HAp-AMP nanorods through the amidation reaction. Finally, polymers functionalized HAp nanorods were prepared by metal free ATRP method using poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) as monomer and 10-phenylphenothiazine (PTH) as organic photocatalyst. The properties of these obtained HAp nanocomposites (HAP-polyPEGMA nanorods) were characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis in detail. The cell imaging of these HAP-polyPEGMA nanorods was examined using laser scanning confocal microscope to evaluate their biomedical applications. We demonstrated for the first time that hydrophobic luminescent HAp nanorods can be functionalized with polyPEGMA through the combination of ligand exchange reaction and metal free surface initiated ATRP. As compared with the traditional ATRP, the metal free ATRP can overcome the toxic and fluorescence quenching effects of metal catalysts such as copper ions. More importantly, the strategy described in this work should also be utilized for fabrications of many other luminescent polymer nanocomposites due to its good monomer adoptability.

The fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FNPs) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) feature have received increasing attention for their advanced optical properties. Although many efforts have been devoted to the fabrication and biomedical applications of AIE-active FNPs, the preparation of branched AIE-active FNPs with degradability through formation of dynamic bonds have rarely been reported. In this work, branched AIE-active FNPs were fabricated via dynamic linkage of hydrophobic hyperbranched and degradable Boltorn H40 (H40) with phenylboronic acid terminated AIE dye (PhB(OH)2) and mPEG (mPEG-B(OH)2), which relied on a facile one-pot strategy between phenylboronic acid and diol group of H40. The branched H40-star-mPEG-PhB(OH)2 FNPs were characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Benefiting from their highly branched structure and amphiphilic properties, H40-star-mPEG-PhB(OH)2 could self-assemble into micelles and emit strong orange-red fluorescence. More importantly, cell viability results demonstrated that H40-star-mPEG-PhB(OH)2 FNPs showed good biocompatibility and promising candidates for bio-imaging. Taken together, we developed a one-pot strategy for preparation of branched AIE-active FNPs through the formation of dynamic phenyl borate. The resultant H40-star-mPEG-PhB(OH)2 FNPs should be promising biomaterials for different applications for biodegradability of H40 and responsiveness of phenyl borate.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a novel type of natural nanomaterials that have attracted tremendous research interest for various applications especially in the biomedical fields owing to their natural origin, biodegradable potential, remarkable biocompatibility and massive reactive hydroxyl groups. In this work, a novel strategy has been developed for fabrication of luminescent CNCs with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) feature for the first time through a facile one-step Ce(IV) redox polymerization for direct surface grafting of AIE dye (PhE) and hydrophilic monomer Poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether acrylate (PEGMA) on CNCs. Various characterization techniques would demonstrate the successful preparation of resultant CNC-PhE-PEGMA with uniform nanoscale size, remarkable fluorescent properties and extremely low cytotoxicity. Furthermore, compared with conventional modification strategy of CNCs, Ce(IV) redox polymerization only need moderate temperature and can operate in aqueous solution utilizing surface hydroxyl groups of CNCs as polymerization activity sites. More importantly, CNC-PhE-PEGMA show desirable fluorescent properties and can be used for cell dyeing, indicating their potential for biomedical applications.

In this work, we reported a novel "one-pot" strategy for preparation of chitosan-coated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composites via a combination of Diels-Alder (DA) reaction and mercaptoacetic acid locking imine (MALI) reaction for the first time. To evaluate the adsorption characteristics, the as-prepared samples were applied to remove copper ions (Cu