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Spectral engineering of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles and their biosensing applications

  • Jing Wang
  • , Ting Sheng
  • , Xiaohui Zhu*
  • , Qin Li
  • , Yihan Wu
  • , Jing Zhang
  • , Jinliang Liu
  • , Yong Zhang*
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

Abstract

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), which can convert low-energy excitation to high-energy emission, have been extensively investigated owning to their advantageous optical properties. However, despite significant achievements, UCNP-based nanomaterials still suffer from several intrinsic issues such as narrow absorption cross-sections, weak upconversion luminescence efficiency, and fixed emission wavelength. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in the spectral engineering of UCNPs, focusing on their emission intensity enhancement and emission color tuning. The various bioapplications of UCNPs in the detection of intracellular ions and biomolecules and sensing the physiological environment are highlighted. Finally, challenges and potential solutions in this area are provided. We hope that this review will offer guidance for the design and fabrication of new UCNP-based nanophosphors and further broaden their applications. © The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Chinese Chemical Society 2021.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1743-1770
JournalMaterials Chemistry Frontiers
Volume5
Issue number4
Online published14 Dec 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 21 Feb 2021
Externally publishedYes

Funding

We acknowledge the financial support from Shanghai Sailing Program (19YF1415200), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11905123, 31671011, and 81971740) and Innovative Research Team of High-Level Local Universities in Shanghai.

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