A general approach to prepare conjugated polymer dot embedded silica nanoparticles with a SiO2@CP@SiO2 structure for targeted HER2-positive cellular imaging

We report on a one-step synthesis of conjugated polymer (CP) embedded silica nanoparticles (NPs) with a SiO2@CP@SiO2 structure by combination of a precipitation method and a modified Stober approach. Four types of CPs are employed to demonstrate the versatility of the developed strategy, yielding fluorescent silica NPs with emission across the visible spectrum. Field emission transmission electron microscopy investigation reveals that the entanglement between hydrophobic CPs and the aminopropyl groups of 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane contributes to the successful encapsulation of CPs into a silica matrix. The synthesized NPs exhibit excellent physical stability and good photostability. In addition, they have amine groups on surfaces, which benefit further conjugation for biological applications. Through reaction with a peptide (GGHAHFG) that is specific to the HER2 receptor, the synthesized NPs have been successfully applied for targeted cellular imaging of HER2-overexpressed SKBR-3 breast cancer cells. Along with its high quantum yield and benign biocompatibility, the developed CP embedded silica NPs have great potential for applications in biological imaging.