A water-soluble PEGylated RGD-functionalized bisbithiophenyl diketopyrrolopyrrole as a photoacoustic sonophore.

Photoacoustic imaging presents an innocuous imaging modality with good penetration depth and resolution. To use this modality for detection and imaging of pathological sites, new imaging probes need to be developed to enhance the contrast over endogenous sonophores. These contrast agents should specifically bind to the site of interest, be non-toxic and be cleared renally if applied intravenously.

Bio-degradable highly fluorescent conjugated polymer nanoparticles for bio-medical imaging applications.

Conjugated polymer nanoparticles exhibit strong fluorescence and have been applied for biological fluorescence imaging in cell culture and in small animals. However, conjugated polymer particles are hydrophobic and often chemically inert materials with diameters ranging from below 50 nm to several microns. As such, conjugated polymer nanoparticles cannot be excreted through the renal system.

Water-soluble dopamine-based polymers for photoacoustic imaging.

Here we present a facile synthetic method yielding a linear form of polydopamine via Kumada-coupling, which can be converted into water-soluble melanin, generating high contrast in photoacoustic imaging.

Solid state anion-π interactions involving polyhalides.

The stabilization of polyhalides in the solid state with the support of electron-deficient pentafluorophenyl groups is described. Furthermore, a synthetic approach towards the sensitive tetraiodide dianion is described and ESI mass spectrometric evidence for its presence in solution is reported.