Hybrid, dual visible and near-infrared fluorescence emission of (6,5) single-walled carbon nanotubes modified with fluorescein through aryl diazonium salt chemistry

Abstract

Abstract The aryl diazonium salt chemistry offers enhancement of near-infrared (NIR) emission of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), although, the attachment of functional molecules which could bring hybrid properties through the process is underdeveloped. In this work, we utilize aryl diazonium salt of fluorescein to create sp 3 defects on (6,5) SWCNTs. We study the influence of pH on the grafting process identifying that pH 5–6 is necessary for a successful reaction. The fluorescein-modified (6,5) SWCNTs (F-(6,5) SWCNTs) exhibit red-shifted E 11* emission in the NIR region attributed to luminescent sp 3 defects, but also visible (Vis) fluorescence at 515 nm from surface-attached fluorescein molecules. The fluorescence in both Vis and NIR regions of F-(6,5) SWCNTs exhibit strong pH-dependency associated with the dissociation of fluorescein molecules with an indication of photoinduced-electron transfer quenching the Vis emission of fluorescein dianion. The F-(6,5) SWCNTs could potentially be used for dual-channel medical imaging as indicated by our preliminary experiments. We hope that our research will encourage new, bold modifications of SWCNTs with functional molecules introducing new, unique hybrid properties.