Tetraphenylethylene and N-isopropylacrylamide block polymer-grafted carbon dots with their application in cellular imaging

Carbon dots (CDs) grafted with block polymer of tetraphenylethylene (TPE) and N-isopropylacrylamide (CD-g-poly(TPE-block-NIPAM)) were synthesized, which are aggregation-induced emission (AIE) nanoparticles. The CD-g-poly(TPE-block-NIPAM) exhibited different fluorescence behaviors in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and water. In THF, the CD-g-poly(TPE-block-NIPAM) could fluoresce, but only from CDs, and the TPE block showed no fluorescence. The fluorescence of CDs was quenched ,and the TPE block showed AIE, when the CD-g-poly(TPE-block-NIPAM) were dispersed in water. The CD-g-poly(TPE-block-NIPAM) showed no cytotoxicity, which could be easily internalized by human breast cancer cells and human embryonic kidney cells with high fluorescence, and they can be used as fluorescent tracers for living cells.