An imaging platform for single-molecule super-resolution microscopy in organic polymer materials

Super-resolution microscopy offers an exciting method for direct in situ real-space observation at nanometer resolutions. Most previous studies have applied these techniques to important scientific problems in the biological community, but little work has explored their use in materials science. In this work, we develop a photoswitchable fluorophore optimized for organic environments, and we explore its incorporation into a super-resolution microscopy experiment. The fluorophore is polymerizable which greatly streamlines labeling strategies into a single step, where a small quantity is mixed with standard monomers and copolymerized to yield the functionalized material with no further purification. Nanoscale imaging is demonstrated through single-molecule super-resolution of polymer blends. Individual fluorophores can be switched several times between bright and dark states, enabling repeated time-lapse imaging. We hope this platform removes barriers from fluorophore chemistry, promoting widespread adoption of super-resolution microscopy in the polymer community.