NIR Chemiluminescent Probes

Stable for 3 months at RT

π-Bridge-engineered Schaap's chemiluminophores combine long-term stability with bright NIR emission for tumor diagnosis and surgical navigation.

Liang, Mengke · Ren, Yi · Zhou, Sensen · Li, Cheng · Yang, Shuo · Zhang, Ling'e · Zhen, Xu · Jiang, Xiqun · Wu, Wei

Journal of the American Chemical Society 2026

Specifications

Molecular retention

{'zh': '>70', 'en': '>70'} %

Advantages

Room-temperature stable

After three months at room temperature, over 70% of the molecules remain in their original structure, easing storage and transport.

Highest brightness

ACHTTCL with thieno[3,2-b]thiophene π-bridge showed the highest brightness due to its extended and rigidified backbone.

H₂S-activated

The phenolic hydroxyl group is caged by an H2S-cleavable protecting group, enabling selective activation.

Applications

• Tumor imaging：Chemiluminescence without excitation light gives low background and sensitive tumor detection.
• Image-guided surgery：NIR emission penetrates deep tissue, guiding resection of deep-seated tumors.
• H₂S detection：H2S cleaves the protecting group to turn on luminescence, enabling selective detection.