Fabrication of Biocompatible, Luminescent Supramolecular Structures and Their Applications in the Detection of Dopamine.

Supramolecular materials assembled by amide-functionalized surface active ionic liquid, N-dodecyl- N'-acetamido imidazolium bromide ([C12ImCONH2]Br), and europium-containing polyoxometalates (Eu-POM) were fabricated in aqueous solution by a one-step method via ionic self-assembly strategy. The [C12ImCONH2]Br/Eu-POM supramolecular structures exhibit favorable fluorescence properties and represent a 15-fold increase in quantum yield (∼13.68%) compared to Eu-POM. Besides, more fluorescence was quenched obviously with the increasing concentration of dopamine (DA) (within the range of 0-100 μM), based on which DA monitoring could be achieved. The detection limit was identified to be 0.1 μM. The supramolecular nanoparticles are highly specific for the detection of DA. In addition, the hybrid assemblies display not only low cytotoxicity but also excellent biocompatibility to MC3T3-E1 cells. As a result, as-prepared supramolecular materials with these superior properties show the promising application in some fields such as biochemistry and biomedical science.