pH-Responsive dye with dual-state emission in both visible and near infrared regions

A new dual-state emission(DSE) dye comprised of tetraphenylethene(TPE), triphenylamine(TPA), and indoline groups has been synthesized, which showed efficient fluorescence in both solution and solid. The dye is comprised of three parts and these parts show different fluorescence properties which can be very useful in some applications since the dye can produce information-rich responses. For example, the dye is p H-sensitive in both solution and solid states, and it emits yellow fluorescence in normal p H and red/NIR fluorescence in acidic condition. Cytotoxicity of the dye is low at concentration of 3 μM which was confirmed by a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT) experiment, and in vitro experiments revealed that the p H responsive performance can be used in bioimaging. It provides a novel p H-sensitive DSE dye ever reported, which has potential application in many fields.