Ultrathin boron nanosheets as an emerging two-dimensional photoluminescence material for bioimaging
Dingtao Ma, Jinlai Zhao, Jianlei Xie, Feng Zhang, Rui Wang, Leiming Wu, Weiyuan Liang, Delong Li, Yanqi Ge, Jianqing Li, Yupeng Zhang, Han Zhang
Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) metal-free sheets with atomic thickness have been highly considered as promising candidates for fluorescent probes, due to their intriguing characteristics. In this work, 2D ultrathin boron nanosheets (B NSs) with a surface defect nanolayer can be effectively prepared by modified liquid phase exfoliation. The as-prepared ultrathin B NSs show blue fluorescence characteristics even with a quantum yield efficiency of up to 10.6%. Such luminescent behavior originates from the quantum confinement effect and the existence of a surface defect layer. In light of the advantages of being environmentally friendly, having high photostability and good biocompatibility, for the first time we have shown that ultrathin B NSs can be used as an emerging fluorescent probe for application in cellular bioimaging. It is believed that this work will open new avenues for ultrathin B NSs in biomedical fields, and it will also inspire the development of other elemental 2D nanomaterials.