Fluorescent Cadmium Sulfide Supraparticles: One-Step In situ Self-Assembly Fabrication and Cationic Surfactant Chain Length-Dependent Mitochondria Targeting Capacity

The exploration of novel fluorescent tools for subcellular analysis is of great importance for both chemical biology and biomedicine. Herein, we present an in situ self-assembly strategy for fabricating fluorescent and monodisperse CdS supraparticles (SPs), which are subsequently employed for mitochondria targeting applications. Using bovine serum albumin and linear chain cationic surfactants as templates and electrostatic modulators, respectively, CdS SPs can be well fabricated by the proposed one-step self-assembly approach in aqueous medium. In addition to high stability, favorable biocompatibility, as well as decent quantum efficiency, the as-prepared SPs have mitochondria targeting capacity due to their cationic surfactant modification. Interestingly, the localization capacity is positively correlated with the length of the cationic surfactant molecules. As the carbon chains of the cationic surfactant molecules enhance from 10 to 16 atoms, the colocalization efficiencies are correspondingly increased from 81 to 84%. Graphical abstract