Synthesis and Characterization of the Fluorescent Self-Assembled Structures Formed by Benzothiazolone Conjugates and Applications in Cellular Imaging

We report the synthesis and characterization of self-assembled structures formed by4-Choro-2(3H)-benzothiazolone (VK) to panchromatic fibers and its application as cell imaging tool. The aggregation properties ofthe synthesized compounds have been studied extensively under different solvent and concentrationand theirmorphologies examined at supramolecular level was observed by microscopic techniques like optical microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and atomic force microscopy(AFM). Interestingly, the self-assembled structures formed by VKreveal panchromatic emission properties andshow blue, green and red fluorescence under different excitation filters. The intensity of the fluorescence observed was blue>green>red and the dye interestingly do not show any fluorescence quenching, on the other hand reveal photoactive properties under green channel. The mechanisms of formation of the self-assemblies were studied through different techniques like concentration dependent NMR and,UV visible spectroscopy and fluorescencemicroscopic studies.Finally, the utility of VK for cell imaging applications is demonstrated and it can be noted that VK can be efficientlyup taken by mammalian cells and the stained cells reveal panchromatic emission under blue, green and red channel.