Rational design of water-dispersible and biocompatible nanoprobes with H 2 S-triggered NIR emission for cancer cell imaging.

We present an approach for constructing a H ₂ S-specific nanoprobe by the entrapment of a small molecule probe within the hydrophobic interior of surface cross-linked micelles (SCMs), endowing the designed nanoprobes with good water solubility and biocompatibility. Importantly, the obtained nanoprobes displayed good responsiveness to H ₂ S in both ratiometric fluorescence and light-up NIR emission modes, thus enabling accurate identification of H ₂ S-rich colorectal cancer cells.