LAUSR

Abstract The self-assembly of organic molecules is versatile to prepare various nanostructures. In this work, a new fluorescent molecules containing triple-BODIPY ( TBDP ) were synthesized, which can self-assemble into stable nanoparticles ( TBDP-NPs ) by nanoprecipitation procedure. The byproducts containing dual-BODIPY units also could form nanoparticles, which possess relatively poor stability in aqueous media. Interestingly, the fluorescent nanoparticles emit different fluorescence at 566 nm and 683 nm under excitation of 500 nm, and the emission at 683 nm can be used as sensor for validating the self-assembly behaviors. The TBDP-NPs excellent cytocompatibliy, and could be internalized by cancer cells for living cell imaging. This work highlights the great potential of self-assembling of organic molecules for functional nanomaterials.