A New Class of Blue‐LED‐Excitable NIR‐II Luminescent Nanoprobes Based on Lanthanide‐Doped CaS Nanoparticles

Lanthanide (Ln³⁺)‐doped luminescent nanoparticles (NPs) with emission in the second near‐infrared (NIR‐II) biological window have shown great promise but their applications are currently limited by the low absorption efficiency of Ln³⁺ owing to the parity‐forbidden 4f→4f electronic transition. Herein, we developed a strategy for the controlled synthesis of a new class of NIR‐II luminescent nanoprobes based on Ce³⁺/Er³⁺ and Ce³⁺/Nd³⁺ co‐doped CaS NPs, which can be effectively excited by using a low‐cost blue light‐emitting diode chip. Through sensitization by the allowed 4f→5d transition of Ce³⁺, intense NIR‐II luminescence from Er³⁺ and Nd³⁺ with quantum yields of 9.3 % and 7.7 % was achieved, respectively. By coating them with a layer of amphiphilic phospholipids, these NPs exhibit excellent stability in water and can be exploited as sensitive NIR‐II luminescent nanoprobes for the accurate detection of an important disease biomarker, xanthine, with a detection limit of 32.0 nm .     

Enhancing Luminescence in Lanthanide‐Doped Upconversion Nanoparticles

The enthusiasm for research on lanthanide‐doped upconversion nanoparticles is driven by both a fundamental interest in the optical properties of lanthanides embedded in different host lattices and their promise for broad applications ranging from biological imaging to photodynamic therapy. Despite the considerable progress made in the past decade, the field of upconversion nanoparticles has been hindered by significant experimental challenges associated with low upconversion conversion efficiencies. Recent experimental and theoretical studies on upconversion nanoparticles have, however, led to the development of several effective approaches to enhancing upconversion luminescence, which could have profound implications for a range of applications. Herein we present the underlying principles of controlling energy transfer through lanthanide doping, overview the major advances and key challenging issues in improving upconversion luminescence, and consider the likely directions of future research in the field.     

不同掺杂浓度Tm3+∶LiLuF4单晶的1800 nm荧光发射

采用坩埚下降法生长了Tm3+掺杂浓度为0.45％,0.90％,1.63％与3.25％(摩尔分数,x)的LiLuF4单晶.测试了样品的电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱(ICP-AES)、X射线衍射(XRD)谱、吸收光谱(1400-2000 nm),并且分析比较了808 nm半导体激光器(LD)激发下荧光光谱.结果表明:当Tm3+的浓度从0.45％变化到3.25％时,1800 nm处的荧光强度呈现了先增后减的趋势,当掺杂浓度约为0.90％时达到最大值,而位于1470 nm处的荧光强度则呈现了相反的趋势.Tm3+∶3F4能级的荧光衰减寿命随着掺杂浓度的增加不断减小.1800 nm处的这种荧光强度变化归结于Tm3+离子间的交叉驰豫效应(3H6,3H4→3F4,3F4)和自身的浓度猝灭效应.同时计算得到了浓度为0.90％的样品在1890 nm处的最大发射截面为0.392x 10-20 cm2.并且根据Judd-Ofelt理论所得寿命和测定的荧光寿命计算得到了3F→3H6的最大量子效率约为120％.     

不同掺杂浓度Tm3+：LiLuF4单晶的1800 nm荧光发射

采用坩埚下降法生长了Tm3+掺杂浓度为0.45%,0.90%,1.63%与3.25%(摩尔分数,x)的LiLuF4单晶.测试了样品的电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱(ICP-AES)、X射线衍射(XRD)谱、吸收光谱(1400-2000 nm),并且分析比较了808 nm半导体激光器(LD)激发下荧光光谱.结果表明:当Tm3+的浓度从0.45%变化到3.25%时,1800 nm处的荧光强度呈现了先增后减的趋势,当掺杂浓度约为0.90%时达到最大值,而位于1470 nm处的荧光强度则呈现了相反的趋势.Tm3+:3F4能级的荧光衰减寿命随着掺杂浓度的增加不断减小.1800 nm处的这种荧光强度变化归结于Tm3+离子间的交叉驰豫效应(3H6,3H4→3F4,3F4)和自身的浓度猝灭效应.同时计算得到了浓度为0.90%的样品在1890 nm处的最大发射截面为0.392×10-20cm2.并且根据Judd-Ofelt理论所得寿命和测定的荧光寿命计算得到了3F4→3H6的最大量子效率约为120%.     

Remote Regulation of Membrane Channel Activity by Site‐Specific Localization of Lanthanide‐Doped Upconversion Nanocrystals

The spatiotemporal regulation of light‐gated ion channels is a powerful tool to study physiological pathways and develop personalized theranostic modalities. So far, most existing light‐gated channels are limited by their action spectra in the ultraviolet (UV) or visible region. Simple and innovative strategies for the specific attachment of photoswitches on the cell surface without modifying or genetically encoding channel structures, and more importantly, that enable the remote activation of ion‐channel functions within near‐infrared (NIR) spectral window in living systems, remain a challenging concern. Herein, metabolic glycan biosynthesis is used to achieve site‐specific covalent attachment of near‐infrared‐light‐mediated lanthanide‐doped upconversion nanocrystals (UCNs) to the cell surface through copper‐free click cyclization. Upon irradiation with 808 nm light, the converted emission at 480 nm could activate a light‐gated ion channel, channelrhodopsins‐2 (ChR2), and thus remotely control the cation influx. This unique strategy provides valuable insights on the specific regulation membrane‐associated activities in vivo.     

Graphene‐Oxide‐Modified Lanthanide Nanoprobes for Tumor‐Targeted Visible/NIR‐II Luminescence Imaging

The synthesis of hydrophilic lanthanide‐doped nanocrystals (Ln³⁺‐NCs) with molecular recognition ability for bioimaging currently remains a challenge. Herein, we present an effective strategy to circumvent this bottleneck by encapsulating Ln³⁺‐NCs in graphene oxide (NCs@GO). Monodisperse NCs@GO was prepared by optimizing GO size and core–shell structure of NaYF₄:Yb,Er@NaYF₄, thus combining the intense visible/near‐infrared II (NIR‐II) luminescence of NCs and the unique surface properties and biomedical functions of GO. Such nanostructures not only feature broad solvent dispersibility, efficient cell uptake, and excellent biocompatibility but also enable further modifications with various agents such as DNA, proteins, or nanoparticles without tedious procedures. Moreover, we demonstrate in proof‐of‐concept experiments that NCs@GO can realize simultaneous intracellular tracking and microRNA‐21 visualization, as well as highly sensitive in vivo tumor‐targeted NIR‐II imaging at 1525 nm.     

Lanthanide‐Doped Nanocrystals: Strategies for Improving the Efficiency of Upconversion Emission and Their Physical Understanding

The fundamental understanding of lanthanide‐doped upconverted nanocrystals remains a frontier area of research because of potential applications in photonics and biophotonics. Recent studies have revealed that upconversion luminescence dynamics depend on host crystal structure, size of the nanocrystals, dopant concentration, and core–shell structures, which influence site symmetry and the distribution and energy migration of the dopant ions. In this review, we bring to light the influences of doping/co‐doping concentration, crystal phase, crystal size of the host, and core–shell structure on the efficiency of upconversion emission. Furthermore, the lattice strain, due to a change in the crystal phase and by the core–shell structure, strongly influences the upconversion emission intensity. Analysis suggests that the local environment of the ion plays the most significant role in modification of radiative and nonradiative relaxation mechanisms of overall upconversion emission properties. Finally, an outlook on the prospects of this research field is given.