Water-soluble nano-fluorogens fabricated by self-assembly of bolaamphiphiles bearing AIE moieties: towards application in cell imaging.

Nano-fluorogens with a mono-molecule layered structure are fabricated by self-assembly of a new bolaamphiphile bearing a tetraphenylethene moiety. The nano-fluorogens show good water-solubility, biocompatibility, and strong emission with a quantum yield as high as 15%. The nano-fluorogens, as prepared, are successfully applied to label and map HeLa cells. The images obtained have high contrast and resolution, showing a promising potential for fluorescence detection in bio-related systems.