Work

Multivariable Design of a Minimalist Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticle with Bright NIR‐II Emission

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Near‐infrared (NIR) emitting materials underpin emerging medical diagnostics and therapeutic bionanotechnologies. In particular, the NIR‐II window (1000–1700 nm) allows for enhanced penetration depth and image clarity in vivo by minimizing light‐tissue interactions. Organic materials are advantageous due to their synthetic tunability; however, the energy gap law poses fundamental limitations on accessible quantum yields (Φ) due to the exponential increase in nonradiative decay rates as the bandgap narrows. Conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) offer biocompatibility, photostability, and remarkable absorption cross‐sections (ɛ), the latter of which can offset the reduced Φ of the organic material to afford brilliant emission (ɛ × Φ). Here, a structurally simple, scalable furan‐flanked diketopyrrolopyrrole material (PDFT) with peak emission at 950 nm is investigated, and the role of backbone architecture, molecular weight, and particle size on NIR‐II emission brightness are explored. PDFT CPNs features extraordinary brightness and photostability in solution and in vivo, outperforming indocyanine green and many contemporary NIR‐II emitters. Through rational structural modifications across multiple length scales, the NIR‐II brightness is enhanced >5000× beyond alternative small molecules, featuring a minimum detectable dose of 0.65 n m in vivo. This performance, combined with synthetic accessibility and scalability, positions PDFT as a promising material for NIR‐II bionanotechnologies.

Source: Advanced Optical Materials

DOI: 10.1002/adom.202502433