Facile fabrication and cell imaging applications of aggregation-induced emission dye-based fluorescent organic nanoparticles

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) dye-based fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs) were prepared via Schiff base interactions between an AIE dye and a carbohydrate polymer (carboxymethyl chitosan). The obtained FONs with uniform size, high water dispersibility, strong fluorescence and high biocompatibility were explored for cell imaging applications.