Amphiphilic Carbon Dots for Ultrafast and Wash-Free Mitochondria-Targeted Imaging
Feishi Shan, Jing Zhang, Chengshuang Liao, Yanman Liu, Xiangli Li, Haodong Mi, Wei Wang, Shanshan Jiang, Minyong Li, Yanhong Liu, Zhouyu Wang, Leyong Wang, Jun‐Jie Zhu
Abstract
Carbon dots (CDs) exhibit exceptional biocompatibility and programmable amphiphilicity, establishing them as transformative nanomaterials for subcellular visualization with exceptional resolution. However, existing CD-based probes lack the spatiotemporal precision required for real-time organelle tracking, particularly in mitochondrial-targeted imaging via ultrafast, wash-free protocols. To overcome these limitations, this study describes the solvent-free, high-temperature (280 °C) and short-time (2 h) preparation of green-emitting CDs (GCDs) with distinctive amphiphilic architectures utilizing benzoylurea and citric acid in a sealed high-pressure reactor. GCDs may form micelle-like structures driven to hydrophobic interactions, producing long-wavelength emission in contrast to blue emission in low-polar solvents. They also simultaneously activate the synergy of numerous endocytotic modes, achieving ultrafast (<5 s) and wash-free imaging. GCDs can also effectively target the mitochondria, more significantly, in both normal and cancer cells (Person's value ≈ 0.90/0.91), which is explained by the minor adjustment of mitochondrial membrane potential. This work describes assembly mechanisms of amphiphilic CDs while establishing potential design principles for mitochondria-targeted nanostructures with wash-free, ultrafast tracking.