Inês F. A. Mariz

Nonlinear emission of quinolizinium-based dyes with application in fluorescence lifetime imaging.

Charged molecules based on the quinolizinum cation have potential applications as labels in fluorescence imaging in biological media under nonlinear excitation. A systematic study of the linear and nonlinear photophysics of derivatives of the quinolizinum cation substituted by either dimethylaniline or methoxyphenyl electron donors is performed. The effects of donor strength, conjugation length, and symmetry in the two-photon emission efficiency are analyzed in detail. The best performing nonlinear fluorophore, with two-photon absorption cross sections of 1140 GM and an emission quantum yield of 0.22, is characterized by a symmetric D-π-A(+)-π-D architecture based on the methoxyphenyl substituent. Application of this molecule as a fluorescent marker in optical microscopy of living cells revealed that, under favorable conditions, the fluorophore can be localized in the cytoplasmatic compartment of the cell, staining vesicular shape organelles. At higher dye concentrations and longer staining times, the fluorophore can also penetrate into the nucleus. The nonlinearly excited fluorescence lifetime imaging shows that the fluorophore lifetime is sensitive to its location in the different cell compartments. Using fluorescence lifetime microscopy, a multicolor map of the cell is drafted with a single dye.

Symmetrical and unsymmetrical multibranched D–π–A molecules based on 1,3,5-triazine unit: synthesis and photophysical properties

A series of V-shaped (D–π–A–π–D) and star-shaped ((D–π–)3A) molecules based on the electron acceptor 1,3,5-triazine core (A) connected to different electron donor groups (D) by a carbon–carbon triple bond as a conjugation bridge (π) has been synthesized. The studied molecules can be separated into symmetrically and unsymmetrically substituted molecules depending on the combination of the electron donating branches connected to the triazine core. Their photophysical properties are characterized experimentally and the structure–properties relationship is analysed with the aid of theoretical calculations. The symmetrically branched 1,3,5-triazine-based molecules exhibit similar UV-vis absorption to the corresponding linear molecules, but an obvious blue-shift in the emission is observed with increasing dimensionality. The absorption of the unsymmetrically branched 1,3,5-triazine-based molecules is clearly localized on a specific branch, suggesting a weak interbranch conjugation in the ground state. Emission is mainly controlled by the branch with the lowest energy excited state, which corresponds to the one with the largest intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effect. The two-photon absorption properties of selected molecules are studied. They exhibit strong two-photon absorption activities and a modest interbranch conjugation effect, enhancing the TPA cross-section beyond the additive effect of increasing branch number.

Molecular architecture effects in two-photon absorption: from octupolar molecules to polymers and hybrid polymer nanoparticles based on 1,3,5-triazine

The two-photon absorption properties of a set of linear copolymers based on the regular alternation of a 2,4,6-tris(thiophen-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine electron-accepting unit with different electron-donating groups attached to two of the thiophen ends were investigated. Comparison of these data with those of the analogous octupolar monomers and hyperbranched polymers allows us to understand the role of the triazine-thiophen core and its molecular architecture in the nonlinear optical properties of these polymeric materials. It is concluded that the arrangement of the push-pull unit into a unidimensional array, as it is the case of the linear copolymer, favours the two-photon absorption cross-section. Hybrid nanoparticles dispersed in water were prepared from selected polymers with two-photon excited fluorescence emission comparable with those of the best performing quantum dots.

Safety and efficacy evaluation of gelatin-based nanoparticles associated with UV filters.

The safety and efficacy assessment of nanomaterials is a major concern of industry and academia. These materials, due to their nanoscale size, can have chemical, physical, and biological properties that differ from those of their larger counterparts. The encapsulation of natural ingredients can provide marked improvements in sun protection efficacy. This strategy promotes solubility enhancement of flavonoids and yields an improved active ingredient with innovative physical, physicochemical and functional characteristics. Rutin, a flavonoid, has chemical and functional stability in topical vehicles exerting a synergistic effect in association with ultraviolet (UV) filters. However, the solubility of rutin is a limiting factor. Additionally, this bioactive compound does not have tendency to permeate across the stratum corneum. As an alternative to common synthetic based sunscreens, rutin-entrapped gelatin nanoparticles were designed. The present study investigated the pre-clinical safety of gelatin nanoparticles (GNPs) using an in vitro method and also assessed the clinical safety and efficacy of the association of GNPs with three commonly used chemical UV filters (ethylhexyl dimethyl PABA, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and methoxydibenzoylmethane). The non-irritant and adequate safety profile under sun-exposed skin conditions of the nanomaterials and the emulsions qualified the products for clinical efficacy assays. The in vivo results indicated that the GNPs increased the antioxidant protection of the emulsions developed. However, the presence of rutin in the nanosized material did not enhance performance on the SPF test. In conclusion, these findings characterized the nanomaterials as an innovative platform for multifunctional bioactive sunscreens.

A 1,3,5-triazine based polymer as a nonlinear near-infrared antenna for two-photon activated volumetric optical memory devices

The ability of a 1,3,5-triazine based polymer to work as a nonlinear near-infrared (NIR) antenna in functional optical materials is discussed. The push–pull polymer is composed of alternating electron acceptor cores of 2,4,6-tris(thiophen-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine, bridged by electron donor groups of 9,9-dihexyl-9H-fluorene. It has been tailored for high two-photon absorption and efficient up-conversion of the excitation energy into fluorescence emission. These properties are here explored in the operation of prototypical storage material for volumetric nonlinear optical memory devices. Multilayer data storage is demonstrated in composite films of photochromic (PC) molecules doped with the polymer. The two-photon excitation of the polymer triggers a unidirectional isomerization of the PC molecules (a cycloreversion process from the closed to the open isomer) via Forster resonant energy transfer. Data recording with as little as 1 ms of exposure time and 1 mW of 740 nm radiation is accomplished.

Porphyrin-Oligopyridine Triads: Synthesis and Optical Properties

The synthesis of two triads with two porphyrinyl units linked by oligopyridine derivatives and a new β-functionalized porphyrin-dihydroazepine is described. One of the porphyrin-oligopyridine triads has a quinquepyridine unit connecting the porphyrins β-pyrrolic positions, while the other one has an asymmetric quaterpyridine with one of the pyridines fused to the porphyrin. All compounds have fluorescence emission quantum yields in the range of meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (16-22%).