Second Harmonic Generation Signatures of Supramolecular Assemblies Based on Amide Moieties

Targeting the use of the second harmonic generation (SHG) as a bioimaging technique to unravel the formation of aggregates, the SHG first hyperpolarizabilities ( ) of assemblies of benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide derivatives have been evaluated at the density functional theory level. Calculations have revealed that i) the assemblies exhibit SHG responses and the total first hyperpolarizability responses of the aggregates are evolving with their size. The largest aggregation effect is a 18-times increase for of B4 when going from the monomer to the pentamer, that ii) the intrinsic SHG responses described by the hyper-Rayleigh Scattering are enhanced in presence of iodine atoms on the phenyl core, that iii) the side chains affect the relative orientation of the dipole moment and first hyperpolarizability vectors, which impacts more the EFISHG quantities than their moduli, and that iv) the radial component to is dominant for the compounds having the largest responses. These results have been obtained using the sequential molecular dynamics then quantum mechanics approach to account for dynamic structural effects on the SHG responses.     

Folding Up of Gold Nanoparticle Strings into Plasmonic Vesicles for Enhanced Photoacoustic Imaging

The stepwise self‐assembly of hollow plasmonic vesicles with vesicular membranes containing strings of gold nanoparticles (NPs) is reported. The formation of chain vesicles can be controlled by tuning the density of the polymer ligands on the surface of the gold NPs. The strong absorption of the chain vesicles in the near‐infrared (NIR) region leads to a much higher efficiency in photoacoustic (PA) imaging than for non‐chain vesicles. The chain vesicles were further employed for the encapsulation of drugs and the NIR light triggered release of payloads. This work not only offers a new platform for controlling the hierarchical self‐assembly of NPs, but also demonstrates that the physical properties of the materials can be tailored by controlling the spatial arrangement of NPs within assemblies to achieve a better performance in biomedical applications.     

Self‐Assembled Fluorescent Organic Nanoparticles for Live‐Cell Imaging

Fluorescent, cell‐permeable, organic nanoparticles based on self‐assembled π‐conjugated oligomers with high absorption cross‐sections and high quantum yields have been developed. The nanoparticles are generated with a tuneable density of amino groups for charge‐mediated cellular uptake by a straightforward self‐assembly protocol, which allows for control over size and toxicity. The results show that a single amino group per ten oligomers is sufficient to achieve cellular uptake. The non‐toxic nanoparticles are suitable for both one‐ and two‐photon cellular imaging and flow cytometry, and undergo very efficient cellular uptake.     

CXCR4‐Targeted and MMP‐Responsive Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging

MRI offers high spatial resolution with excellent tissue penetration but it has limited sensitivity and the commonly administered contrast agents lack specificity. In this study, two sets of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) were synthesized that were designed to selectively undergo copper‐free click conjugation upon sensing of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) enzymes, thereby leading to a self‐assembled superparamagnetic nanocluster network with T₂ signal enhancement properties. For this purpose, IONPs with bioorthogonal azide and alkyne surfaces masked by polyethylene glycol (PEG) layers tethered to CXCR4‐targeted peptide ligands were synthesized and characterized. The IONPs were tested in vitro and T₂ signal enhancements of around 160 % were measured when the IONPs were incubated with cells expressing MMP2/9 and CXCR4. Simultaneous systemic administration of the bioorthogonal IONPs in tumor‐bearing mice demonstrated the signal‐enhancing ability of these ‘smart’ self‐assembling nanomaterials.     

In Situ Formation of One‐Dimensional Assemblies of Gold Nanoparticles in Confined Media

The spontaneous in situ formation of one‐dimensional (1D) assemblies of gold nanoparticles (NP) in oleylamine/bis(2‐ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate sodium salt/water/octane (OAm/AOT/w/o) microemulsions by exploiting both the aurophilic bonding between OAm and gold salt, and the interactions between OAm and AOT surfactant is presented. Control on the structure of the resulting assemblies is achieved by changing in the solvent quality, the [Au]/[AOT] molar ratio and the presence of different cosolutes. A possible mechanism of the formation of the 1D parallel Au NP arrays is proposed.     

Self‐Organization of Gold Nanoparticle Assemblies with 3D Spatial Order and Their External Stimuli Responsiveness

Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) with pyridyl end‐capped polystyrenes (PS‐4VP) as “quasi‐monodentate” ligands self‐assemble into ordered PS‐4VP/AuNP nanostructures with 3D hexagonal spatial order in the dried solid state. The key for the formation of these ordered structures is the modulation of the ratio AuNP versus ligands, which proves the importance of ligand design and quantity for the preparation of novel ordered polymer/metal nanoparticle conjugates. Although the assemblies of PS‐4VP/AuNP in dispersion lack in high dimensional order, strong plasmonic interactions are observed due to close contact of AuNP. Applying temperature as an external stimulus allows the reversible distortion of plasmonic interactions within the AuNP nanocomposite structures, which can be observed directly by naked eye. The modulation of the macroscopic optical properties accompanied by this structural distortion of plasmonic interaction opens up very interesting sensoric applications.

     

Structural Transformation: Assembly of an Otherwise Inaccessible DNA Nanocage

A strategy of structural transformation for the assembly of DNA nanocages that can not be assembled directly is described. In this strategy, a precursor DNA nanocage is assembled first and then is isothermally transformed into a desired, complicated nanocage. A dramatic, conformational change accompanies the transformation. This strategy has been proven to be successful by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM) imaging. We expect that the strategy of structural transformation will be useful for the assembly of many otherwise inaccessible DNA nanostructures and help to increase the structural complexity of DNA nanocages.     

Nanocage encapsulation of two ortho-carborane molecules

Bowl-shaped C-methylcalix[4]resorcinarene forms a 1:1 ball-and-socket nanostructure with o-carborane through two endo-cavity BC-H...pi hydrogen bonds. In the presence of 4',2:6,4"-terpyridine, two of these nanostructures are held together by four terpyridines through sixteen OH...N hydrogen bonds, completely shrouding two carboranes.     

Specific Detection and Imaging of Enzyme Activity by Signal‐Amplifiable Self‐Assembling 19F MRI Probes

Specific turn‐on detection of enzyme activities is of fundamental importance in drug discovery research, as well as medical diagnostics. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most powerful techniques for noninvasive visualization of enzyme activity, both in vivo and ex vivo, promising strategies for imaging specific enzymes with high contrast have been very limited to date. We report herein a novel signal‐amplifiable self‐assembling ¹⁹F NMR/MRI probe for turn‐on detection and imaging of specific enzymatic activity. In NMR spectroscopy, these designed probes are “silent” when aggregated, but exhibit a disassembly driven turn‐on signal change upon cleavage of the substrate part by the catalytic enzyme. Using these ¹⁹F probes, nanomolar levels of two different target enzymes, nitroreductase (NTR) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), could be detected and visualized by ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy and MRI. Furthermore, we have succeeded in imaging the activity of endogenously secreted MMP in cultured media of tumor cells by ¹⁹F MRI, depending on the cell lines and the cellular conditions. These results clearly demonstrate that our turn‐on ¹⁹F probes may serve as a screening platform for the activity of MMPs.     

Glycosylated Star‐Shaped Conjugated Oligomers for Targeted Two‐Photon Fluorescence Imaging

A glucopyranose functionalized star‐shaped oligomer, N‐tris{4,4′,4′′‐[(1E)‐2‐(2‐{(E)‐2‐[4‐(benzo[d]thiazol‐2‐yl)phenyl]vinyl}‐9,9‐bis(6‐2‐amido‐2‐deoxy‐1‐thio‐β‐D ‐glucopyranose‐hexyl)‐9H‐fluoren‐7‐yl)vinyl]phenyl}phenylamine (TVFVBN‐S‐NH₂), is synthesized for two‐photon fluorescence imaging. In water, TVFVBN‐S‐NH₂ self‐assembles into nanoparticles with an average diameter of ～49 nm and shows a fluorescence quantum yield of 0.21. Two‐photon fluorescence measurements reveal that TVFVBN‐S‐NH₂ has a two‐photon absorption cross‐section of ～1100 GM at 780 nm in water. The active amine group on the glucopyranose moiety allows further functionalization of TVFVBN‐S‐NH₂ with folic acid to yield TVFVBN‐S‐NH₂FA with similar optical and physical properties as those for TVFVBN‐S‐NH₂. Cellular imaging studies reveal that TVFVBN‐S‐NH₂FA has increased uptake by MCF‐7 cells relative to that for TVFVBN‐S‐NH₂, due to specific interactions between folic acid and folate receptors on the MCF‐7 cell membrane. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of glycosylation as a molecular engineering strategy to yield water‐soluble materials with a large two‐photon absorption (TPA) cross‐section for targeted cancer‐cell imaging.     

Targeted Tumor Computed Tomography Imaging Using Low‐Generation Dendrimer‐Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles

We report a facile approach to fabricating low‐generation poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer‐stabilized gold nanoparticles (Au DSNPs) functionalized with folic acid (FA) for in vitro and in vivo targeted computed tomography (CT) imaging of cancer cells. In this study, amine‐terminated generation 2 PAMAM dendrimers were employed as stabilizers to form Au DSNPs without additional reducing agents. The formed Au DSNPs with an Au core size of 5.5 nm were covalently modified with the targeting ligand FA, followed by acetylation of the remaining dendrimer terminal amines to endow the particles with targeting specificity and improved biocompatibility. Our characterization data show that the formed FA‐modified Au DSNPs are stable at different pH values (5—8) and temperatures (4–50 °C), as well as in different aqueous media. MTT assay data along with cell morphology observations reveal that the FA‐modified Au DSNPs are noncytotoxic in the particle concentration range of 0–3000 nM . X‐ray attenuation coefficient measurements show that the CT value of FA‐modified Au DSNPs is much higher than that of Omnipaque (a clinically used CT contrast agent) at the same concentration of the radiodense elements (Au or iodine). Importantly, the FA‐modified Au DSNPs are able to specifically target a model cancer cell line (KB cells, a human epithelial carcinoma cell line) over‐expressing FA receptors and they enable targeted CT imaging of the cancer cells in vitro and the xenografted tumor model in vivo after intravenous administration of the particles. With the simple synthesis approach, easy modification, good cytocompatibility, and high X‐ray attenuation coefficient, the FA‐modified low‐generation Au DSNPs could be used as promising contrast agents for targeted CT imaging of different tumors over‐expressing FA receptors.     

基于硒化镓纳米片填充的空芯光纤超高二次谐波增强

与传统的光学晶体相比,全光纤功能器件由于和光纤系统的天然兼容性,被认为是下一代集成光学的重要研究方向,吸引了人们的广泛关注。然而,由于二氧化硅固有的中心反演对称性质,光纤中的二阶非线性光学过程仍有待探索,这在可调谐超快激光、全光信号处理、成像和光通信等商业全光纤非线性光学应用中具有重要意义。因此,我们提出了一种新的溶液填充方法,可有效地将具有高非线性的硒化镓纳米片直接沉积在长度达半米的空芯光纤(HCF)的内孔壁上。此外,采用制备的硒化镓纳米片-空芯光纤(GaSe-HCF)作为光频率转换器,其二次谐波(SHG)比嵌入MoS₂的HCF和普通HCF分别提高了2个数量级和3个数量级。我们的研究成果将拓展其它非线性材料在全光纤高端非线性光学和光电子学中的应用,并提供新的制备思路。