Thermoresponsive Core Cross-Linked Micelles for Selective Ratiometric Fluorescent Detection of Hg<sup>2+</sup> Ions
作者:Xuejuan Wan、Tao Liu、Shiyong Liu
DOI:10.1021/la104911r
日期:2011.4.5
We report on the fabrication of core cross-linked (CCL) micelles possessing thermoresponsive cores and their application as sensitive and selective ratiometric Hg2+ probes with thermo-tunable detection efficiency. Well-defined double hydrophilic block copolymer (DHBC) bearing naphthalimide-based Hg2+ -reactive moieties (NUMA, 4), PEO-b-P(NIPAM-co-NAS-co-NUMA), was synthesized via reversible addition - fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, where PEO, NIPAM, and NAS represent poly(ethylene oxide), N-isopropylacrylamide, and N-acryloxysuccinimide. At 25 degrees C, PEO-b-P(NIPAM-co-NAS-co-NUMA) unimers in aqueous solution can act as ratiometric Hg2+ probes with a detection limit of similar to 10.1 nM. After core cross-linking of the micellar nanoparticles formed at elevated temperatures, structurally stable CCL micelles with well-solvated PEO coronas and thermoresponsive cores embedded with Hg2+-reactive NUMA moieties were obtained. Upon Hg2+ addition, the aqueous dispersion of CCL micelles exhibit a colorimetric transition from yellowish to colorless and a fluorometric emission transition from green to bright blue. Moreover, Hg2+ detection limits of CCL micelles were considerably enhanced to 3.0 and 1.8 nM at 25 and 40 degrees C, when the thermoresponsive cores are at their swollen and collapsed state, respectively. The high selectivity of CCL micelles to Hg2+ over other common cations was also demonstrated. Furthermore, in vitro studies revealed that CCL micelles can effectively enter into living cells and sensitively respond to the presence of Hg2+ ions via the change of fluorescence emission color. This work represents the first example of DHBC-based CCL micelle acting as highly selective and sensitive ratiometric metal ion probes. The structural stability, water dispersibility, biocompatibility, and most importantly the thermo-tunable detection sensitivity of this novel type of CCL micelle-based sensing systems augur well for their future applications as multifunctional nanocarriers for drug delivery, sensing, imaging, and diagnosis.