Hydrophobic Iridium Complexes for imaging, sensing and drug delivery in nanosized micelles and gold nanoparticles

Iridium cyclometalated complexes are popular luminescent probes for biological imaging, with a luminescent signal that can be tuned by modification of their ligand framework which also influences localisation in cell organelles. In this project, hydrophobic iridium complexes have been developed as novel cellular labels. The complexes form defined micelles which have strong potential as drug delivery vehicles. Their photophysical properties in micelles have been fully analysed and their cellular toxicity is studied. The complexes are also designed with surface active ligands for their attachment on surfaces and gold nanoparticles.