Table 1. Comparison of Different NPs for Super-Resolution Imaging.

Nanoparticle Type	Advantages	Disadvantages
Carbon dot	Water-soluble and biocompatible	Lack red and infrared emission
	Easy surface functionalization	Broad excitation and emission bandwidths
	Photostable
Quantum dot	Tunable particle size and surface modification	Potential toxicity of heavy metals
	Tunable PL emission	Broad absorption band and risk of multiphoton excitation
	Narrow emission band	Short off-state times
	High PL quantum yield
	Photostable
Polymer dot	Versatile function and structure	Large particle size
	Easy functionalization	Potential toxicity of degradation products
	Bright and photostable
	Continuous fluorescence or photoblinking
Modified silica	Biocompatible	Relies on doped fluorophores
	Easy surface functionalization	Potential toxicity of degradation products
	Enhanced fluorescence effects
	Efficient carrier for biomolecular cargo
	Photostable
Aggregation-induced emission dot	Tunable particle size	Limited choice
	Tunable surface functionality	Poor water solubility
	Photostable	Low PL quantum yield in NIR-II region
Nanodiamond	Biocompatible	Relative large particle size
	Bright and stable	Application in bioimaging is rarely developed
	Long-wavelength emission with high PL quantum yield	Limited emission wavelength
Upconversion nanoparticle	Sharp emission band	Poor water solubility
	PL emission penetrates deep tissue	Low PL quantum yield
	Avoid background autofluorescence	Excitation/emission bands are nearly invariable
	Photostable	Potential photothermal effect
		Potential toxicity of metals
Carbon nanotube	Emission in NIR-I and NIR-II windows	Poor water solubility
	Adjustable absorption range
	Easy surface functionalization
	Good as cargo carriers
Metal-based nanoparticle	Surface plasmon resonance effect	Potential for low colloidal stability
	Suitable for different imaging modalities	Potential toxicity of metals
	Easy surface functionalization
	Size dependent properties