1. Synthesis and characterization of tetraphenylethylene-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene-stabilized gold nanoparticles with aggregation-induced emission
- Author
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Belanger-Bouliga, Marilyne, Kihal, Nadjib, Mahious, Hanae, Nguyen, Phuong Trang, Bourgault, Steve, and Nazemi, Ali
- Subjects
Chromophores -- Identification and classification -- Properties ,Carbenes -- Identification and classification -- Properties ,Nanoparticles -- Identification and classification -- Properties ,Heterocyclic compounds -- Identification and classification -- Properties ,Gold compounds -- Identification and classification -- Properties ,Chemical synthesis -- Methods -- Analysis ,Chemistry - Abstract
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have found use in broad range of applications such as in catalysis and nanomedicine. Despite the fact that thiol-based AuNPs have been widely studied, they suffer from relative instability in various conditions, such as high and low temperatures, pH variations, and are prone to oxidation. Over the last decade, N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have been under spotlight as suitable ligands to stabilize metal nanoparticles and surfaces. Although NHC-functionalized AuNPs have been shown to outperform their thiol-based analogs in terms of stability, their applications in nanomedicine have not been realized. Hybrid nanomaterials, such as AuNPs tagged with [pi]-conjugated molecules with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) property, are promising candidates to develop fluorescent materials for cellular imaging. The combination of NHC-stabilized AuNPs with AIE to form stable, fluorescent hybrid AuNPs is of significant interest to open the door to develop new NHC-based nanomaterials. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of water-soluble fluorescent NHC-decorated AuNPs for potential applications in nanomedicine. Their stability in biologically relevant conditions is investigated. Key words: gold nanoparticles, N-heterocyclic carbene, tetraphenylethylene, fluorescent, Introduction Metal nanoparticles, and especially gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), have been at the center of most new technologies since their first discovery. Because of their nanomeric size and hence, their high [...]
- Published
- 2023
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