Porous Polyurea Network Showing Aggregation Induced White Light Emission, Applications as Biosensor and Scaffold for Drug Delivery

Abstract

We have designed a urea functionalized novel nanoporous material, POP-PU, which showsaggregation induced white light emission in the presence of suitable polar solvents. This nanomaterial has been explored as a pseudowhite light emitter where the polymeric luminogen moiety can interact with the suitable polar solvent, leading to charge transfer. Thus, solvent assisted rotational freezing of nonrigid polymeric nanoparticles gives radiative emission and the whole solution emits white light with color temperature of 8533 K. This nanoporous material also holds the pockets (donor-donor-acceptor array) for specific biomolecular interaction. Among three pyrimidine based nucleotide bases, only cytosine can amplify the PL emission intensity of POP-PU and the other two bases cannot, suggesting its future potential as a biosensor. Further, this urea functionalized porous organic nanomaterial can be utilized as an efficient drug-delivery vehicle for liver cancer diagnostics and therapy based on the specific biomolecular interaction at its surface.