Li Kejie, Li Dan, Jia Mochen, Guo Dongxu, Dai Mengmeng, Zhao Jiaqi, Chen Guanying, Fu Zuoling
Key Laboratory of Physics and Technology for Advanced Batteries, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Key Laboratory of Micro-systems and Micro-structures Ministry of Education Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.
Nano Lett. 2025 Jan 15;25(2):776-785. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c05153. Epub 2025 Jan 2.
Lanthanide-doped fluoride nanocrystals have emerged as promising tools in biomedicine, yet their applications are still limited by their low luminescence efficiency. Herein, we developed highly efficient lithium-based core-shell-shell (CSS) nanoprobes (NPs) featuring a rhombic active domain and a spherical inert protective shell. By introducing Yb as an energy transfer bridge and optimizing the CSS design, a remarkable 1643-fold enhancement in visible emission and a 33-fold increase in NIR emission are achieved compared to original nanoparticles. The upconversion quantum yield and brightness are 5-fold and 10-fold higher than those of typical sodium-based NPs, respectively, supported by the finite-difference time-domain simulations revealing stronger light absorption in rhombic LiYF. Furthermore, the hydrophilic modification enabled the CSS NPs to conjugate with Rose Bengal hexanoic acid, thereby achieving upconversion-activated drug release. Meanwhile, the robust NIR emission of Yb allows for precise lifetime-based thermal mapping and high-resolution imaging, advancing the development of noninvasive clinical diagnostics and targeted cancer therapies.
镧系掺杂氟化物纳米晶体已成为生物医学中很有前景的工具，但其应用仍受其低发光效率的限制。在此，我们开发了具有菱形活性域和球形惰性保护壳的高效锂基核壳壳（CSS）纳米探针（NPs）。通过引入Yb作为能量转移桥并优化CSS设计，与原始纳米颗粒相比，可见光发射显著增强了1643倍，近红外发射增加了33倍。有限时域差分模拟表明菱形LiYF具有更强的光吸收，其上转换量子产率和亮度分别比典型的钠基NPs高5倍和10倍。此外，亲水性修饰使CSS NPs能够与玫瑰红己酸缀合，从而实现上转换激活的药物释放。同时，Yb强大的近红外发射允许进行基于精确寿命的热成像和高分辨率成像，推动了无创临床诊断和靶向癌症治疗的发展。
