Multicolor Tunable Polymeric Nanoparticle from the Tetraphenylethylene Cage for Temperature Sensing in Living Cells

It is meaningful but challenging to develop a fluorescent
probe
for temperature sensing in living cells because it should possess
the features of good cytocompatibility, easy read out, and high resolution.
Herein, we successfully synthesized emissive star-like cage-based
organic temperature-sensitive polymers that can assemble into nanoparticles
in aqueous solution. The obtained nanoparticle can be easily tuned
to full-color emission (including white light emission) with a temperature
resolution of at least 0.5 °C by encapsulating different doses
of guest dyes ((4-dimethylamino-2′-butoxychalcone (DMBC) and
Nile Red (NR)) through a cascade Förster resonance energy transfer
(FRET) effect. Moreover, the white light emission polymeric hybrid
nanoparticles exhibit reversible stimuli response toward temperature
and can be used as probes for temperature sensing in live cells through
their fluorescent color variation between white and orange emission
with good cytocompatibility.