Spiropyran-based photochromic polymer nanoparticles with optically switchable luminescence

Emulsion polymerization yields 40–400 nm diameter polymer nanoparticles with spiropyran-merocyanine dyes incorporated into their hydrophobic cavities; in contrast to their virtually nonfluorescent character in most environments, the merocyanine forms of the encapsulated dyes are highly fluorescent. Spiro-mero photoisomerization is reversible, allowing the fluorescence to be switched “on” and “off” by alternating UV and visible light. Immobilizing the dye inside hydrophobic pockets of nanoparticles also improves its photostability, rendering it more resistant than the same dyes in solution to fatigue effects arising from photochemical switching. The photophysical characteristics of the encapsulated fluorophores differ dramatically from those of the same species in solution, making nanoparticle-protected hydrophobic fluorophores attractive materials for potential applications such as optical data storage and switching and biological fluorescent labeling. To evaluate the potential for biological tagging, these optically addressable nanoparticles have been delivered into living cells and imaged with a liquid nitrogen cooled CCD.