Metal-enhancement study of dual functional photosensitizers with aggregation-induced emission and singlet oxygen generation
Mohammad Tavakkoli Yaraki, Fang Hu, Soroosh Daqiqeh Rezaei, Bin Liu, Yen Nee Tan
Abstract
layer-by-layer assembly with controlled distance between silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and AIE-PS. A maximum of 6-fold enhancement in fluorescence and 2-fold increment in SOG were observed for the 85nmAg@AIE-PS. Comprehensive characterization and simulation were conducted to unravel the plasmon-enhancement mechanisms of Ag@AIE-PS. Results show that MEF of AIE-PS is determined by the enhanced electric field around AgNPs, while ME-SOG is dictated by the scattering efficiency of the metal core, where bigger AgNPs would result in larger enhancement factor. Furthermore, the optimum distance between AgNPs and AIE-PS to achieve maximum SOG enhancement is shorter than that required for the highest MEF. The correlation of MEF and ME-SOG found in this study is useful for designing new a generation of AIE-photosensitizers with high brightness and treatment efficiency towards practical theranostic application in the future.