Ultrashort Carbon Nanotubes with Luminescent Color Centers Are Bright NIR-II Nanoemitters
ACS Nano. 2025-05-16; 19(21): 19818-19830
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5c02171
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https://www.bordeaux-neurocampus.fr/11862
Nandi S(1)(2), Gresil Q(1)(2), Lambert BP(1)(2), Sebastian FL(3), Settele S(3), Calaresu I(4), Estaun-Panzano J(5), Lovisotto A(5), Mazzocco C(5), Flavel BS(6), Bezard E(5), Groc L(4), Zaumseil J(3), Cognet L(1)(2).
Author information:
(1)Laboratoire Photonique Numérique et Nanosciences, Université de Bordeaux,
33400 Talence, France.
(2)LP2N, Institut d’Optique Graduate School, CNRS UMR 5298, 33400 Talence,
France.
(3)Institute for Physical Chemistry, Heidelberg University, D-69120 Heidelberg,
Germany.
(4)Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, CNRS, Univ. Bordeaux, 33076
Bordeaux, France.
(5)Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, IMN, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France.
(6)Institute of Nanotechnology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Kaiserstraße
12, D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.
In the fields of bioimaging, photonics, and quantum science, it is equally
crucial to combine high brightness with a nanoscale size in short-wave infrared
(SWIR) emitters. However, such nanoemitters are currently lacking. Here, we
report that when functionalized with luminescent color centers, ultrashort
carbon nanotubes with a length much shorter than 100 nm are surprisingly bright
in the near-infrared second-biological window (NIR-II) of the SWIR domain. We
discuss the origin of this exceptional brightness based on the uncontrollable
presence of quenching defects in dispersed carbon nanotubes. We further
investigate the nonlinear photoluminescence behavior of color
center-functionalized carbon nanotubes in response to varying excitation
conditions, spanning from ensemble measurements to single-nanotube experiments.
We discuss how this behavior influences the determination of their
photoluminescence quantum yields, which can reach values as high as 20% for
ultrashort ones detected at the single-nanotube level. Notably, the
corresponding NIR-II brightness exceeds that of well-known visible emitters,
including quantum dots. After rendering them biocompatible, we demonstrate
point-spread function engineering and high-resolution, 3-dimensional
single-particle tracking using these bright ultrashort carbon nanotubes allowing
nanoscale imaging in the NIR-II window within thick brain tissue.
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5c02171
PMID: 40378052