Present-day advanced technologies heavily rely on the exciting magnetic and spectroscopic properties of lanthanide ions. In particular, their ability to generate well-characterized and intense near-infrared (NIR) lumi...Present-day advanced technologies heavily rely on the exciting magnetic and spectroscopic properties of lanthanide ions. In particular, their ability to generate well-characterized and intense near-infrared (NIR) luminescence is exploited in any modern fiber-optic telecommunication network. In this feature article, we first summarize the whereabouts underlying the design of highly luminescent NIR molecular edifices and materials. We then focus on describing the main trends in three applications related to this spectral range: telecommunications, biosciences, and solar energy conversion. In telecommunications, efforts concentrate presently on getting easily processable polymer-based waveguide amplifiers. Upconversion nanophosphors emitting in the visible after NIR excitation are now ubiquitous in many bioanalyses while their application to bio-imaging is still in its early stages; however, highly sensitive NIR-NIR systems start to be at hand for both in vitro and in vivo imaging, as well as dual probes combining magnetic resonance and optical imaging. Finally, both silicon-based and dye-sensitized solar cells benefit from the downconversion and upconversion capabilities of lanthanide ions to harvest UV and NIR solar light and to boost the overall quantum efficiency of these next-generation devices.展开更多
The most commonly found fingermarks at crime scenes are latent and, thus, an efficient method for detecting latent fingermarks is very important. However, traditional developing techniques have drawbacks such as low d...The most commonly found fingermarks at crime scenes are latent and, thus, an efficient method for detecting latent fingermarks is very important. However, traditional developing techniques have drawbacks such as low detection sensitivity, high background interference, complicated operation, and high toxicity. To tackle this challenge, we employed fluorescent NaYF4：Yb, Er upconversion nanoparticles （UCNPs）, which can fluoresce visible light when excited by 980 nm human-safe near-infrared light, to stain the latent fingermarks on various substrate surfaces. The UCNPs were successfully used as a novel fluorescent label for the detection of latent fingermarks with high sensitivity, low background, high efficiency, and low toxicity on various substrates including non-infiltrating materials （glass, marble, aluminum alloy sheets, stainless steel sheets, aluminum foils, and plastic cards）, semi-infiltrating materials （floor leathers, ceramic tiles, wood floor, and painted wood）, and infiltrating materials such as various types of papers. This work shows that UCNPs are a versatile fluorescent label for the facile detection of fingermarks on virtually any material, enabling their practical applications in forensic sciences.展开更多
Significant attenuation and overheating, caused by the absorption of the excitation band （980 nm） in water, are the major obstacles in the in vivo application of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles （UCNPs）...Significant attenuation and overheating, caused by the absorption of the excitation band （980 nm） in water, are the major obstacles in the in vivo application of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles （UCNPs）. Therefore, appropriately- structured Nd3^＋-doped UCNPs with 808 nm excitation could be a promising alternative. Herein, we developed core-shell-shell structured Nd3^＋-sensitized UCNPs as imaging agents, and decorated them onto the surface of polydopamine （PDA） to construct a novel multifunctional core/satellite nanotheranostic （PDA@UCNPs） for in vivo imaging guidance photothermal therapy using single 808 nm laser irradiation. The core-shell-shell structured design enabled outstanding upconversion luminescence properties and strong X-ray attenuation, thereby making the nanocomposites potential candidates for excellent upconversion luminescence/computed tomography dual modal imaging. In addition, the PDA core not only provides high photothermal conversion efficiency and outstanding antitumor effect, but also endows the platform with robust biocompatibility owing to its natural features. Therefore, this multifunctional nanocomposite could be a promising theranostic in future oncotherapy, with high therapeutic effectiveness but low side effects. This study would stimulate interest in designing bio- application-compatible multifunctional nanocomposites, especially for cancer diagnosis and treatment in vivo.展开更多
Lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles(UCNPs)have been widely explored in various fields,including optical imaging,in recent years.Although earlier work has shown that UCNPs with different lanthanide(Ln3+)dopants...Lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles(UCNPs)have been widely explored in various fields,including optical imaging,in recent years.Although earlier work has shown that UCNPs with different lanthanide(Ln3+)dopants exhibit various colors,multicolor-especially in vivo multiplexed biomedical imaging-using UCNPs has rarely been reported.In this work,we synthesize a series of UCNPs with different emission colors and functionalize them with an amphiphilic polymer to confer water solubility.Multicolor in vivo upconversion luminescence(UCL)imaging is demonstrated by imaging subcutaneously injected UCNPs and applied in multiplexed in vivo lymph node mapping.We also use UCNPs for multicolor cancer cell labeling and realize in vivo cell tracking by UCL imaging.Moreover,for the first time we compare the in vivo imaging sensitivity of quantum dot(QD)-based fluorescence imaging and UCNP-based UCL imaging side by side,and find the in vivo detection limit of UCNPs to be at least one order of magnitude lower than that of QDs in our current non-optimized imaging system.Our data suggest that,by virtue of their unique optical properties,UCNPs have great potential for use in highly-sensitive multiplexed biomedical imaging.展开更多
基金Project supported through grants from the Swiss National Science Foundationthe WCU program from the National Science Foundation of Korea for grant R31-10035
文摘Present-day advanced technologies heavily rely on the exciting magnetic and spectroscopic properties of lanthanide ions. In particular, their ability to generate well-characterized and intense near-infrared (NIR) luminescence is exploited in any modern fiber-optic telecommunication network. In this feature article, we first summarize the whereabouts underlying the design of highly luminescent NIR molecular edifices and materials. We then focus on describing the main trends in three applications related to this spectral range: telecommunications, biosciences, and solar energy conversion. In telecommunications, efforts concentrate presently on getting easily processable polymer-based waveguide amplifiers. Upconversion nanophosphors emitting in the visible after NIR excitation are now ubiquitous in many bioanalyses while their application to bio-imaging is still in its early stages; however, highly sensitive NIR-NIR systems start to be at hand for both in vitro and in vivo imaging, as well as dual probes combining magnetic resonance and optical imaging. Finally, both silicon-based and dye-sensitized solar cells benefit from the downconversion and upconversion capabilities of lanthanide ions to harvest UV and NIR solar light and to boost the overall quantum efficiency of these next-generation devices.
基金This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 21205139）, the Application and Innovation Project of Chinese Ministry of Public Security （No. 2012YYCXXJXY127）, and the Program for Liaoning Excellent Talents in University （No. LJQ2014130）. MYY is thankful for the grant support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Nos. 20804037 and 21172194） and National High Technology Research and Development Program 863 （No. 2013AA102507）. YZ, PHQ and CBM would like to thank the financial support from National Institutes of Health （No. EB015190）, National Natural Science Foundation （No. CMMI-1234957 and DMR-0847758）, Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program （No. W81XWH-12-1-0384）, Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology （No. HR14-160） and Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research （No. 434003）.
文摘The most commonly found fingermarks at crime scenes are latent and, thus, an efficient method for detecting latent fingermarks is very important. However, traditional developing techniques have drawbacks such as low detection sensitivity, high background interference, complicated operation, and high toxicity. To tackle this challenge, we employed fluorescent NaYF4：Yb, Er upconversion nanoparticles （UCNPs）, which can fluoresce visible light when excited by 980 nm human-safe near-infrared light, to stain the latent fingermarks on various substrate surfaces. The UCNPs were successfully used as a novel fluorescent label for the detection of latent fingermarks with high sensitivity, low background, high efficiency, and low toxicity on various substrates including non-infiltrating materials （glass, marble, aluminum alloy sheets, stainless steel sheets, aluminum foils, and plastic cards）, semi-infiltrating materials （floor leathers, ceramic tiles, wood floor, and painted wood）, and infiltrating materials such as various types of papers. This work shows that UCNPs are a versatile fluorescent label for the facile detection of fingermarks on virtually any material, enabling their practical applications in forensic sciences.
基金Acknowledgements This work was supported by the financial aid from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Nos. 51502284, 51372242, 51402286, 21521092, 21590794, and 21210001）, the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Science and Technology Cooperation Special Project of Ministry of Science and Technology of China （No. 2014DFT10310）, the Program of Science and Technology Development Plan of Jilin Province of China （No. 20140201007GX）, the National Basic Research Program of China （No. 2014CB643802）, the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences （No. XDB20030300） and the Jilin Province Youth Foundation （No. 20150520007JH）.
文摘Significant attenuation and overheating, caused by the absorption of the excitation band （980 nm） in water, are the major obstacles in the in vivo application of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles （UCNPs）. Therefore, appropriately- structured Nd3^＋-doped UCNPs with 808 nm excitation could be a promising alternative. Herein, we developed core-shell-shell structured Nd3^＋-sensitized UCNPs as imaging agents, and decorated them onto the surface of polydopamine （PDA） to construct a novel multifunctional core/satellite nanotheranostic （PDA@UCNPs） for in vivo imaging guidance photothermal therapy using single 808 nm laser irradiation. The core-shell-shell structured design enabled outstanding upconversion luminescence properties and strong X-ray attenuation, thereby making the nanocomposites potential candidates for excellent upconversion luminescence/computed tomography dual modal imaging. In addition, the PDA core not only provides high photothermal conversion efficiency and outstanding antitumor effect, but also endows the platform with robust biocompatibility owing to its natural features. Therefore, this multifunctional nanocomposite could be a promising theranostic in future oncotherapy, with high therapeutic effectiveness but low side effects. This study would stimulate interest in designing bio- application-compatible multifunctional nanocomposites, especially for cancer diagnosis and treatment in vivo.
基金This work was supported by the research start-up fund of Soochow University and the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong SAR(No.CityU5/CRF/08)。
文摘Lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles(UCNPs)have been widely explored in various fields,including optical imaging,in recent years.Although earlier work has shown that UCNPs with different lanthanide(Ln3+)dopants exhibit various colors,multicolor-especially in vivo multiplexed biomedical imaging-using UCNPs has rarely been reported.In this work,we synthesize a series of UCNPs with different emission colors and functionalize them with an amphiphilic polymer to confer water solubility.Multicolor in vivo upconversion luminescence(UCL)imaging is demonstrated by imaging subcutaneously injected UCNPs and applied in multiplexed in vivo lymph node mapping.We also use UCNPs for multicolor cancer cell labeling and realize in vivo cell tracking by UCL imaging.Moreover,for the first time we compare the in vivo imaging sensitivity of quantum dot(QD)-based fluorescence imaging and UCNP-based UCL imaging side by side,and find the in vivo detection limit of UCNPs to be at least one order of magnitude lower than that of QDs in our current non-optimized imaging system.Our data suggest that,by virtue of their unique optical properties,UCNPs have great potential for use in highly-sensitive multiplexed biomedical imaging.
