Waterproof Perovskite Quantum Dots for In-vivo Photoluminescence Bioimaging

Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) have demonstrated great promise in bioimaging applications owing to their outstanding photophysical properties. Nonetheless, their practicality is seriously limited by the instability of PQDs against moisture. Here we develop a post-synthetic ligand exchange strategy to construct silica-coated PQD (PQD@SiO₂) nanocrystals, which results in the simultaneous improvement of photoluminescence efficiency and moisture stability. More importantly, compared to the classical in-situ ligand exchange method of fabricating PQD@SiO₂, the issues of chemical etching and resultant photoluminescence degradation are judiciously overcome. Employing the proposed PQD@SiO₂, we showcase their robust usefulness in labeling chlorella, paving the way for PQD-based in-vivo photoluminescence bioimaging methodology.