Merging Porphyrins with Gold Nanorods: Self Assembly Construct to High Fluorescent Polyelectrolyte Microcapsules

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 12; no. 5; p. 872
• Main Authors: Serra, Vanda Vaz, Serra, Sofia G, Vallejo, Mariana C S, Paulo, Pedro M R, Moura, Nuno M M, Botequim, David, Neves, Maria Graça P M S, Costa, Sílvia M B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 05-03-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Aqueous solutions; Emission analysis; Emissions; Fluorescence; fluorescence imaging; Gold; Hybrids; Light; metal nanoparticles; Microcapsules; Microscopy; Nanoparticles; Nanorods; plasmonic antennas; polyelectrolyte microcapsules; Polyelectrolytes; Porphyrins; Self-assembly; United States > US; plasmonic antennas; metal nanoparticles; polyelectrolyte microcapsules; fluorescence imaging; porphyrins
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano12050872

Dual probe porphyrin-gold nanorod polyelectrolyte microcapsules were developed to explore the enhancing effects of a plasmonic interface of self-assembled gold nanoparticles in the fluorescence emission from porphyrins loaded into the capsules' core. An analysis of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) data reports a notable 10
-10
-fold increase in the maximum detected photon rates from diffraction-limited spots and an overall six-fold increase in fluorescence as averaged over the whole microcapsule area. Large emission enhancements were correlated with decreases in fluorescence lifetimes. The microcapsule's design proved effective in achieving high fluorescent hybrids and may shed light on new possibilities for advanced materials imaging applications.