Red-light-excited near-infrared afterglow material

Autofluorescence-free imaging

Designed with twisted intramolecular charge transfer, its afterglow emission shifts to the near-infrared, enabling background-free in vivo bioimaging.

Zhou, Lei · Zhenyi, He · Wu, Zhiqin · Ping, Jiang · Song, Jinming · Ma, Liangwei · Tian, He · Ma, Xiang

Light: Science and Applications 2026

Specifications

Maximum excitation wavelength

{'zh': '567', 'en': '567'} nm

Maximum afterglow emission wavelength

{'zh': '725', 'en': '725'} nm

Afterglow lifetime

{'zh': '67.82', 'en': '67.82'} ms

Advantages

Red-light excitable

Maximum excitation wavelength reaches 567 nm and tails to 700 nm, avoiding UV damage to tissues and enabling in vivo use.

Near-infrared emission

Afterglow emission reaches 725 nm, within the near-infrared window for deep-tissue penetration and minimal autofluorescence.

Low background interference

Long-lived afterglow allows detection after excitation is turned off, eliminating tissue autofluorescence for background-free imaging.

Applications

• Autofluorescence-free bioimaging：Afterglow emission after excitation off eliminates tissue autofluorescence completely.
• NIR afterglow probes：Emission at 725 nm in the NIR window suits deep-tissue imaging probes.
• In vivo imaging：Red-light excitation avoids UV damage; long afterglow enables high-SNR in vivo imaging.