Reversibly Photoswitchable Tristate Fluorescence within a Single Polymeric Nanoparticle

• Published in: Advanced optical materials Vol. 9; no. 22
• Main Authors: Yu, Maolin, Zhang, Peisheng, Liu, Le, Wang, Han, Wang, Hong, Zhang, Chonghua, Gao, Yong, Yang, Chuluo, Cui, Jiaxi, Chen, Jian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-11-2021
• Subjects: Data storage; Energy transfer; Fluorescence; fluorescence‐resonance energy transfer; information encryption; Materials science; multicolor fluorescence; Nanoparticles; Optics; photoswitch; polymeric nanoparticles; Spiropyrans; Storage stability
• ISSN: 2195-1071; 2195-1071
• DOI: 10.1002/adom.202101227

Herein, a class of novel photoswitchable tristate fluorescent polymeric nanoparticles (TS‐PFPNs) consisting of a well‐designed perylenediimide‐spiropyran conjugate (PDI‐SP), two energy‐matched photochromics as spiropyran‐linked methacrylate and diarylethene (DTE) derivative (DTEo‐1) is described. By optimizing the feed ratio of three dyes and controllable switching fluorescence resonance energy transfer from excited PDI to SP or DTE moiety with different lights stimuli, the emission of these TS‐PFPNs can be reversibly switched among distinguishable green, red, and quenching states. In addition, these TS‐PFPNs exhibit high brightness, high contrast, excellent water‐dispersibility, and photoreversibility as well as outstanding long‐term storage stability and processability. It is also demonstrated that these TS‐PFPNs can be directly used for advanced anticounterfeiting, high‐density data storage, and multilevel information encryption.
Reversibly photoswitchable tristate fluorescence within a single polymeric nanoparticle is built up via a facile miniemulsion polymerization. A class of photoswitchable tristate fluorescent polymeric nanoparticles can reversibly switch their emissions among distinct green, red, and quenching states by different light stimuli. These properties favor the realization of multilevel anticounterfeiting, rewritable optical high‐density data storage, and multiple information encryption applications.