Hybrid cyanine-silica nanoparticles: homogeneous photoemission behavior of entrapped fluorophores and consequent high brightness enhancement

Spherical hybrid cyanine-silica nanoparticles, quite homogeneous in size (ca. 50 nm) were prepared by the reverse microemulsion method. Solvatochromism tests indicated that all fluorophore molecules were actually entrapped within the inorganic matrix. The combination of steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements allowed us to conclude that almost all cyanine molecules exhibited the same photophysical behavior and this suggested they should be dispersed in a monomeric form. Such behavior resulted in a significant brightness enhancement per cubic nanometer of nanoparticle with respect to molecules in solution. The occurrence of the optical interparticle effect by progressively decreasing the distance among hybrid nanoparticles passing from suspension to a dry powder was also investigated.