CDOC_Paper_Data_Files

Many near‑infrared (NIR) dyes suffer from low molecular brightness in aqueous and biological environments, limiting their bioimaging utility. This work introduces BRIGHT (Bioinspired Room‑temperature Ionic liquids and GUMBOS as enHanced emission Tools), a platform that uses bio‑inspired ionic liquids to dramatically enhance NIR dye fluorescence. Choline deoxycholate ([Ch][Doc]) increases the molecular brightness of indolizine squaraine SO₃SQ by up to 96‑fold and converts weakly emissive dyes such as IR‑1061 into bright probes. Spectroscopic and computational studies reveal that enhancement arises from stabilization of excited states and suppression of non‑radiative decay. [Ch][Doc] exhibits low cytotoxicity and minimal hemolysis, and cellular imaging demonstrates improved brightness, resolution, and photostability. This strategy expands the applicability of organic NIR dyes for bioimaging.