Ultrasmall organosilica nanoparticles with strong solid-state fluorescence for multifunctional applications

INTRODUCTION: Organosilica nanoparticles (ONs), which are a new type of photoluminescent nanomaterial (PM) with excellent biocompatibility, have caught more attention in recent years. However, their applications are significantly impeded by the complicated preparation process, poor photostability, and especially aggregation-induced quenching. OBJECTIVES: The present study was aimed to design and prepare solid-state fluorescent ONs to avoid aggregation-induced quenching effect. In addition, the uses of ONs for fingerprint detection, white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) and lysosome-targetable cellular imaging were demonstrated. METHODS: Here, for the first time, we designed and prepared novel solid-state fluorescent ultrasmall ONs with orange-emitting photoluminescence via a one-step hydrothermal method. RESULTS: The prepared solid-state fluorescent ONs could be successfully employed in fingerprint detection, WLEDs fabrication and cellular imaging. Intriguingly, the ultrasmall ONs specifically localized to lysosomes rather than other subcellular organelles across distinct cell lines, including cancer cells and noncancerous cells. CONCLUSION: Collectively, these data showed that the new ONs presented in this study could be ideal candidates for PMs in biological and photoelectric applications.