Table 4.
Comparison of different fluorescent nanoparticles and organic dyes.a
| organic dyes | quantum dots | Conjugated polymer NPs | dye-loaded polymer NPs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diameterb | ~1 nm | 6-60 nm | 5-50 nm | 15-100 nm |
| Monodispersity | + | + | +/- | +/- |
| Brightness (ε×QY) | 103-105 | 105-106 | 105-108 | 105-108 |
| Photostabilityc | 105-106 | 107-108 | 106-109 | 4.4×107 d |
| Absorption range | UV-vis-NIR | UV-vis-NIR | UV-vis | UV-vis-NIR |
| Emission range | UV-vis-NIR | vis-NIR | UV-vis-NIR | UV-vis-NIR |
| Blinking | yes/no | Yes | yes/no | yes/no |
| Surface chemistry and colloidal stability | + | + | +/- | +/- |
| Biodegradability | + | - | - | + |
“+”– an advantage; “+/-“ – to be improved; “-“– a weak point
hydrodynamic diameter
number of photons before photobleaching
data from one report.[87]