Nanoparticles with aggregation-induced emission for monitoring long time cell membrane interactions

We perform the long time monitoring of nanoparticle-cell membrane interaction with high spatial and temporal resolution. The 2,3-bis(4-(phenyl(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl) phenyl)amino)phenyl) fumaronitrile (TPE-TPA-FN) is doped in organically modified silica (ORMOSIL) to be a biocompatible nanoprobe, which displays an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect. Photobleaching resistance of this synthesized nanoparticle is tested and compared with its similar counterpart, which proves its superiority and capability of long term fluorescence emission. We utilize the objective-based total internal reflection microscopy combined with the living cell incubation platform to investigate the cell uptake process of this nanoparticle in real time.