Preperation of Fluorescence Tunable Multicolor Nanoparticles by One-Step Method

Fluorescence tunable polymer nanoparticles were prepared by incorporating two hydrophobic fluorescent dyes (9, 10-diphenylanthracene: DPA and nitrobenzoxadiazolyl: NBD) into polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) nanoparticles via one-step miniemulsion polymerization method. The prepared fluorescent nanoparticles exhibit the spectral properties of both DPA and NBD dye, indicating that the two fluorophores have been incorporated into the nanoparticles. Moreover, by varying the doping ratio of the two hydrophobic dyes, the polymer nanoparticles exhibit tunable and distinguishable emission characteristics under a single wavelength excitation via occuring fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET).