Fluorescent Nanomaterials and Its Application in Biomedical Engineering

Currently, in the field of biomedical engineering and biological applications, the use of soft florescent nanomaterials has increased because of their excellent biocompatibility, easy biofunctionalization, and high brightness properties. This chapter summarizes the current developments of nano-sized fluorescent soft biological imaging agents. Many fluorescent soft nanoparticles like biomaterial-based NPs, vesicles, micelles, nanogels, small-molecule organic NPs, semiconducting polymer NPs, and dye-doped polymer NPs are mentioned briefly starting from the preparation methods, their structures, their optical properties, as well as their functionalization. Depending upon the nano-sized imaging agents' functional as well as optical properties, their uses are briefly described in relation to Vivo imaging, cellular process imaging, and in vitro imaging by using nonspecific and specific targeting.