Interface engineering of perovskite nanocrystals: challenges and opportunities for biological imaging and detection

Perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) have attracted much attention due to their unique optical properties, including high photoluminescence quantum yield, narrow emission and tunable wavelength. This perspective focuses on the recent progress of these promising materials as fluorescent probes for biological diagnosis. Efforts made in the field of interface engineering are presented on how to construct water-resistant and biocompatible PNC probes. Their applications in biological diagnosis are discussed with a focus on cell and tumor imaging, biomolecular detection, and fluorescence immunoassay. With the high tolerance of defects, precisely tunable emission, and a strong light absorption coefficient, the physical and optical properties of PNCs are superior to those of traditional fluorescent dyes. Finally, this perspective discusses the challenges and opportunities for the application of PNCs as fluorescent labeling probes in biological fields.