The construction of water-soluble and fluorescent nanoparticles composed of porphyrin chromophores remains challenging because porphyrins tend to aggregate in water via pi-stacking interactions resulting in diminished photophysical properties. Herein in we describe the straightforward preparation of water-soluble porphyrin nanoparticles, inter alia, via mixing of zinc tetraphenyl porphyrin decorated with two permethylated beta-cyclodextrin units with polypropylene glycol (PPG) in water. The particle size ranges from 600 to 700 nm in diameter as evidenced from dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy measurements. Importantly, these nanoparticles show sharp absorption peak for the porphyrin Soret band and are fluorescent, findings that are attractive for both photophysical and biochemical applications. In order to probe the mechanism for nanoparticle formation, we have also investigated various modified porphyrins.

Preparation and characterization of non-pi aggregated porphyrin nanoparticles in water

245th National Meeting (2013)

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