Oxygen-doped carbon nanotubes for near-infrared fluorescent labels and imaging probes

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 6272 - 6
• Main Authors: Iizumi, Yoko, Yudasaka, Masako, Kim, Jaeho, Sakakita, Hajime, Takeuchi, Tsukasa, Okazaki, Toshiya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 19.04.2018; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/638/298/54; 639/925/357/73; Adducts; Angiography; Animals; Carbon; Chemical modification; Contractility; Female; Fluorescent Dyes - chemistry; Humanities and Social Sciences; I.R. radiation; Intestine; Luminescence; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; multidisciplinary; Nanotechnology; Nanotubes; Nanotubes, Carbon - chemistry; Optical properties; Oxygen; Oxygen - chemistry; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Thin films; Ultraviolet radiation; Ultraviolet Rays
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24399-8

Chemical modification of carbon nanotube surface can controllably modulate their optical properties. Here we report a simple and effective synthesis method of oxygen-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes (o-SWCNTs), in which a thin film of SWCNTs is just irradiated under the UV light for a few minutes in air. By using this method, the epoxide-type oxygen-adducts (ep-SWCNTs) were produced in addition to the ether-type oxygen-adducts (eth-SWCNTs). The Treated (6, 5) ep-SWCNTs show a red-shifted luminescence at ~1280 nm, which corresponds to the most transparent regions for bio-materials. Immunoassay, fluorescence vascular angiography and observation of the intestinal contractile activity of mice were demonstrated by using the produced o-SWCNTs as infrared fluorescent labels and imaging agents.