Description
Super-resolution fluorescent imaging based on photoswitchable fluorophores provide promising perspective of optical microscopy with nanoscale resolution (10-100 nm). We report a series of fluorescence molecular photoswitches including spiropyrans (SP)1,2, dithienylethene (DTE)3 and hexaarylbiimidazole (HABI), which have been screened for super-resolution fluorescent imaging (SURF). The molecular photoswitches undergo photoinduced isomerization and photoswitchable fluorescence, which is essential for super-resolution fluorescence imaging. The super-resolution imaging applications of these photoswitchable fluorophores have been demonstrated that fine nanostructures have been characterized with 40 nm resolution in the self-assembly of amphiphiles, block copolymers and polymer nanofibers as well as inorganic nanowires.