A new kind of hybrid core鈥搒hell nanosphere was fabricated by combining the in situ formation of Au nanoparticles and covalent cross-linking of biocompatible carboxymethyl starch dialdehyde (CMSD) and chitosan (CTS). When the fluorescent dye poly[9,9鈥?bis(6鈥?(
N,
N,
N-trimethylammonium)-hexyl)fluorene-2,7-ylenevinylene-
co-alt-1,4-phenylene dibromide] (PFV) was assembled on the surface of the hybrid nanospheres through electrostatic attraction, these biocompatible hybrid nanospheres exhibited metal-enhanced fluorescence effects. The fluorescence intensity of (CTS鈥揂u)@CMSD/PFV hybrid nanosphere is 1.43 times that of CTS鈥揅MSD/PFV hybrid nanospheres lacking Au nanoparticle. In addition, the (CTS鈥揂u)@CMSD/PFV hybrid nanospheres exhibit excellent biodegradability upon exposure to enzymatic aqueous solution and good biocompatibility when cocultured with HeLa cervical carcinoma cells; these advantages make them attractive for cellular imaging and biological analysis and detection.
Keywords:
self-assembly; fluorescence; conjugated polymer; hybrid nanosphere; biocompatibility; cellular imaging