Water-dispersed fluorescence nanomaterials based on boron nitride nanotubes and grafted copolymer brushes (poly(acrylic acid-co-fluorescein acrylate) were successfully fabricated in a two-step process. The functionalization of BNNTs was confirmed by spectroscopic, gravimetric and imaging techniques. In contrast to “pure” BNNTs, functionalized BNNTs demonstrate intense green fluorescence emission at 520 nm. The developed hybrid structure can potentially be used for cellular imaging, as “smart” surfaces, nanotransducers and nanocarriers.
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