TY - JOUR A1 - Behnke, Thomas A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Laux, Eva-Maria A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Simple strategies towards bright polymer particles via one-step staining procedures JF - Dyes and pigments N2 - In order to develop simple and versatile procedures for the preparation of red emissive particles, various one-step swelling procedures for the loading of fluorophores into nanometer- and micrometer-sized polystyrene particles were systematically assessed. Parameters studied for model dyes from common dye classes include the composition of the swelling medium, dye charge and polarity, dye concentration, and particle surface chemistry. The dye loading procedures were compared based upon the efficiency of dye incorporation, fluorescence intensity, and colloidal stability of the resulting particles as well as the absence of dye leaking as determined by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, flow cytometry, and measurements of zeta potentials. In addition, for the first time, the influence of the amount of incorporated dye on the absolute fluorescence quantum yield and brightness of the fluorescent particles was investigated for selected chromophores in differently sized particles using a custom-made calibrated integrating sphere setup. Our results demonstrate the general suitability of these one-step loading procedures for efficient particle staining with neutral, zwitterionic, and charged fluorophores like oxazines, coumarines, squaraines, xanthenes, and cyanines emitting in the visible and near infrared. Dye polarity was identified as a suitable tool to estimate the loading efficiency of fluorophores into these polymer particles. KW - Fluorescence KW - Polystyrene KW - Particles KW - Encapsulation KW - Quantum yield KW - Zeta potential KW - Method KW - Label KW - Particle KW - Polymer KW - Absolute fluorescence quantum yield KW - Fluorophore KW - Dye content KW - Surface groups KW - Size KW - Brightness PY - 2012 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dyepig.2012.01.021 SN - 0143-7208 SN - 1873-3743 VL - 94 IS - 2 SP - 247 EP - 257 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - Kidlington AN - OPUS4-25481 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Behnke, Thomas A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin A1 - Hübner, Martin A1 - Panne, Ulrich A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Encapsulation of hydrophobic dyes in polystyrene micro- and nanoparticles via swelling procedures JF - Journal of fluorescence N2 - Aiming at the derivation of a generalized procedure for the straightforward preparation of particles fluorescing in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectral region, different swelling procedures for the loading of the hydrophobic polarity-probe Nile Red into nano- and micrometer sized polystyrene particles were studied and compared with respect to the optical properties of the resulting particles. The effect of the amount of incorporated dye on the spectroscopic properties of the particles was investigated for differently sized beads with different surface chemistries, i.e., non-functionalized, aminomodified and PEG-grafted surfaces. Moreover, photostability and leaking studies were performed. The main criterion for the optimization of the dye loading procedures was a high and thermally and photochemically stable fluorescence output of the particles for the future application of these systems as fluorescent labels. KW - Fluorescence KW - Nile red KW - Polystyrene KW - Nanoparticles KW - Microparticles KW - Encapsulation KW - Swelling PY - 2011 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10895-010-0632-2 SN - 1053-0509 SN - 1573-4994 VL - 21 IS - 3 SP - 937 EP - 944 PB - Plenum Publ. Corp. CY - New York, NY AN - OPUS4-22692 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -