Infrared emitting and absorbing conjugated polymer nanoparticles as biological imaging probes

The use of conjugated polymer nanoparticles in biological imaging is emerging as an effective method of analysis and diagnosis, with their enhanced optical stability and wide colour pallete a distinct advantage over existing dye systems. Notably, the wide range of materials available include narrow band gap polymers, not originally designed for imaging but with fortuitous electronic properties that can be exploited in clearly defined near-infrared regions, areas of great interest to clinicians and biologists as transparent windows. Traditionally, few materials can be used as convenient probes in the near infrared, however, conjugated polymers provide an immediate solution to imaging in this desirable spectral range.