Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Songbin Liu, Long Yan, Jinshu Huang, Qinyuan Zhang, Bo Zhou
Summary: Lanthanide-based upconversion nanomaterials have excellent properties and the emergence of multi-layer core-shell nanostructures provides a powerful tool for precise manipulation and functional integration. It offers unprecedented opportunities for energy transfer control, emission color modification, and new functionalities.
CHEMICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Ya'nan Ji, Donglei Zhou, Nan Wang, Nan Ding, Wen Xu, Hongwei Song
Summary: In this study, we designed and synthesized core-shell upconversion nanoparticles and combined them with photonic crystals to fabricate flexible narrowband near-infrared photodetectors. The detectors displayed enhanced upconversion luminescence and excellent detection performance for 808 and 980nm light. They also exhibited low photodetection power threshold, flexibility, moisture resistance, and long-time stability.
JOURNAL OF RARE EARTHS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Andrew J. Evangelista, Mariia Ivanchenko, Hao Jing
Summary: The work demonstrates photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from ammonia borane under near-infrared laser irradiation using novel core-shell upconversion-semiconductor hybrid nanostructures, showing significantly higher activities compared to bare upconversion nanoparticles. The efficient charge separation and generation of reactive species promote hydrogen production, paving the way for on-board hydrogen generation from ammonia borane under near-infrared illumination for green energy applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Youhui Zhou, Yao Cheng, Ju Xu, Hang Lin, Yuansheng Wang
Summary: Recent discoveries have uncovered the temperature-dependent upconversion luminescence behavior of inert-core/active-shell UCNPs, where both the sensitizer and activator are located near the nanoparticle surface, leading to a stronger luminescence thermal enhancement tendency compared to active-core UCNPs. This thermal enhancement behavior appears to be core-size dependent and is suggested to be attributed to the alleviation of surface quenching induced by lattice thermal expansion, based on the relationship between size-dependent luminescence and lattice expansion coefficient.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qilin Zou, Cecile Marcelot, Nicolas Ratel-Ramond, Xiaodong Yi, Pierre Roblin, Florian Frenzel, Ute Resch-Genger, Ali Eftekhari, Aude Bouchet, Christophe Coudret, Marc Verelst, Xueyuan Chen, Robert Mauricot, Clement Roux
Summary: This study presents Ln(3+)-doped oxysulfide@fluoride core/shell heterostructure nanoparticles with efficient upconversion luminescence properties. These nanoparticles show good stability in solution and can be excited at 980 nm.
Article
Polymer Science
Shu-Fen Chuang, Chu-Chun Liao, Jui-Che Lin, Yu-Cheng Chou, Tsung-Lin Lee, Ting-Wen Lai
Summary: Incorporating upconversion phosphors (UP) can enhance the polymerization reaction under near-infrared (NIR) radiation in dental resin composites. Adding 5-10% UP in dental composites effectively improves NIR upconversion polymerization.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Youxin Fu, Kefan Wu, Georgios Alachouzos, Nadja A. Simeth, Thomas Freese, Michal Falkowski, Wiktor Szymanski, Hong Zhang, Ben L. Feringa
Summary: Photoclick reactions combine the selectivity of classical click chemistry with the precision and control of light. A reliable and versatile strategy using near infrared light and upconversion nanoparticles was introduced to activate the reactions. Successful in vivo applications were demonstrated through tissue penetration.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xiangyang Wu, Edwin K. L. Yeow
Summary: By preparing a multilayered upconversion nanocrystal, a cooperative luminescence effect is achieved, leading to enhanced brightness. This bright upconversion nanocrystal is utilized to drive one-pot multicomponent reactions involving energy transfer, catalytic activity, and photothermal effect.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yongchun Pan, Xiaowei Luan, Yanfeng Gao, Fei Zeng, Xuyuan Wang, Dongtao Zhou, Wanqi Li, Yuzhen Wang, Bangshun He, Yujun Song
Summary: Researchers have designed a cancer-activated nanomachine based on porous upconversion nanoparticles for precise phototherapy. The nanosystem contains a telomerase substrate primer and encapsulates 5-aminolevulinic acid and D-arginine. After coating with hyaluronic acid, the nanomachine can easily enter tumor cells and induce efficient accumulation of protoporphyrin IX via biosynthetic pathway. The nanomachine can respond to near-infrared light and generate active singlet oxygen through Förster resonance energy transfer. Moreover, it can relieve tumor hypoxia by converting D-arginine into nitric oxide, thereby improving the phototherapy effect.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hao Lin, Zhiyuan Cheng, Dekang Xu, Xuegang Zheng, Tong Liu, Liqin Xu, Ying Ma, Yueli Zhang
Summary: In this study, a new type of NIR-II nanophotoswitch was developed, which enables deeper tissue imaging and higher resolution. It has the potential to be used for real-time imaging in the photodynamic therapy process.
NEW JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Han-Lin Wei, Weilin Zheng, Xin Zhang, Hao Suo, Bing Chen, Yanze Wang, Feng Wang
Summary: This review highlights the recent development of NIR-to-UV UCNPs and their emerging biomedical applications.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Zhaoyou Chu, Tian Tian, Zhenchao Tao, Juan Yang, Benjin Chen, Hao Chen, Wanni Wang, Peiqun Yin, Xiaoping Xia, Hua Wang, Haisheng Qian
Summary: In this study, UCNPs@AgBiS2 core-shell nanoparticles were successfully prepared through ion exchange, resulting in improved photothermal conversion efficiency of AgBiS2 due to cross relaxation between Nd ions and AgBiS2. The doping concentration of Nd ions played a critical role in ROS production and enhanced photothermal conversion efficiency. When the doping concentration of Nd ions in the inner core was 1%, NaYF4:Yb/Er/Nd@NaYF4:Nd nanoparticles exhibited strong upconversion emissions, exciting the AgBiS2 shell to generate ROS for photodynamic therapy of cancer cells.
BIOACTIVE MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Huiming Liu, Long Yan, Jinshu Huang, Zhengce An, Wang Sheng, Bo Zhou
Summary: This study reports a new nanoplatform for improving the thermal sensitivity of nanothermometry through nonthermally coupled upconversion emissions. By observing the gradual decrease of Er3+ and rapid increase of Tm3+, a significant contrast in intensity ratio and emission colors can be achieved. Introducing Ce3+ further enhances the sensitivity and expands the range of thermochromic color change.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lei Lei, Enyang Liu, Yubin Wang, Youjie Hua, Junjie Zhang, Jiayi Chen, Rundong Mao, Guohua Jia, Shiqing Xu
Summary: By engineering the interfacial density of states between core/shell nanoparticles, photon upconversion can be amplified to enhance luminescence intensity, expanding applications in information storage and display.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kaofeng Huang, Haiyi Qiu, Xintong Zhang, Wang Luo, Ying Chen, Jiacheng Zhang, Yihang Chen, Guannan Wang, Kezhi Zheng
Summary: Materials with tunable emission colors, such as lanthanide doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), have been studied for their potential applications in full-color display. In this study, a novel experimental design is proposed to achieve trichromatic emission from core-shell-structured UCNPs by manipulating energy migration through a dual-channel pump scheme. This study may contribute to the development of convenient and versatile methods for multicolor tuning and the construction of full-color volumetric display systems with high spatiotemporal resolution.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Mochen Jia, Xu Chen, Ranran Sun, Di Wu, Xinjian Li, Zhifeng Shi, Guanying Chen, Chongxin Shan
Summary: Luminescent nanothermometry has attracted significant scientific attention for its ability to accurately measure the internal temperature of nanoscale objects. Lanthanide-based ratiometric luminescent thermometers, due to their high photochemical stability and superior thermometric performance, have found widespread applications in various fields. However, debates still exist regarding the temperature-sensing mechanisms, quantitative characterization of performance, and reliability of temperature readouts.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Tianyu Zhao, Guanying Chen
Summary: This study introduces a novel Te4+ doped Cs2ZrCl6 microcrystal that exhibits high sensitivity for temperature sensing at low temperatures. The experiments demonstrate significant differences in temperature-dependent emission behaviors between the Cs2ZrCl6 host and the Te4+ luminescent center, leading to the design of a novel fluorescence intensity ratio thermometry. The maximum absolute and relative temperature sensitivity can reach as high as 0.7378 K-1 and 1.966% K-1 at 85 K, respectively.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Renbin Zhou, Hao Xu, Junle Qu, Tymish Y. Ohulchanskyy
Summary: This study introduces a novel therapeutic nanoplatform for colon tumors that utilizes the tumor microenvironment for diagnosis and treatment. The platform utilizes hemoglobin nanocrystals to generate cytotoxic substances and contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging within the tumor, enabling a combination therapy of chemodynamic therapy and photothermal therapy. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate the high therapeutic efficacy of this nanoplatform against colon cancer, with low toxicity towards normal tissues.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Liangcan He, Nannan Zheng, Qinghui Wang, Jiarui Du, Shumin Wang, Zhiyue Cao, Zhantong Wang, Guanying Chen, Jing Mu, Shaoqin Liu, Xiaoyuan Chen
Summary: This study reports a pH-responsive i-motif DNA-mediated method to regulate the programmable behaviors of erbium-based rare-earth nanoparticles (ErNPs) on copper doped metal-organic framework (CPM) nanohybrids, achieving selective tumor accumulation and imaging.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xindong Wang, Ji Fu, Chang Jiang, Xiaohui Liao, Yiju Chen, Tao Jia, Guanying Chen, Xue Feng
Summary: New monitoring modes are developed through specific probes and implantable devices, enabling real-time monitoring and long-term monitoring. Near-infrared dye-sensitized upconversion nanoparticles are used as luminescent probes, with the specificity to reactive oxygen species regulated by self-assembled monolayers. Combined with a passive implanted system, a 20-day monitoring of H2O2 in an ovarian cancer rat model with peritoneal metastasis is achieved, overcoming the limitations of light penetration depth and toxicity of nano-probes. The developed monitoring modes have great potential in accelerating the clinical transformation of nano-probes and biochemical detection methods.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Deyang Li, Guanying Chen
Summary: We observed thermally enhanced NIR luminescence of erbium ions in cesium lead chloride perovskite quantum dots (PQDs). This enhancement was due to a thermally stable cascade energy transfer process and reduced quenching effect caused by the increase in temperature. Furthermore, these PQDs can be used to produce phosphor-converted LEDs emitting at 1540 nm, which have broad implications for photonic applications.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lijun Wu, Mochen Jia, Dan Li, Guanying Chen
Summary: A thorough investigation was performed to unveil the shell effect on lifetime-based thermal sensitivity modulation by finely controlling the shell thickness of lanthanide-doped core-shell-shell nanoparticles. The study showed that both active and inert shells can regulate the thermal dependent nonradiative decays and NIR luminescence lifetime of Yb3+, which in turn modulates the thermal sensitivity. The modified nanoprobes possessed robust stability to fluctuations in the microenvironment, enabling accurate temperature mapping in living mice.
Article
Oncology
Haifeng Hao, Xinyu Wang, Yan Qin, Zhifang Ma, Pengyu Yan, Chao Liu, Guanying Chen, Xiaofeng Yang
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of CD47 as a target for optical molecular imaging of human bladder cancer and conducted preliminary ex vivo imaging experiments. The results showed that CD47-targeted NIR molecular imaging can accurately diagnose bladder cancer.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Adilet Zhakeyev, Mansour Abdulrhman, Yuqi Zhang, Feng Li, Guanying Chen, Jose Marques-Hueso
Summary: In this work, a technique for multi-material stereolithography is presented, which overcomes the limitation of layer-by-layer deposition. Selective volumetric crosslinking is achieved by using invisibility windows and upconversion, allowing for printing inside and through previously 3D printed parts. This technique opens up numerous possibilities, such as printing objects inside cavities in a different material, restoration of broken objects and artifacts, 3D circuitry, and in-situ bioprinting.
APPLIED MATERIALS TODAY
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Mohammad Malekzadeh, Vishvajeet V. Mane, Zhengxi Xuan, Tymish Y. Ohulchanskyy, Mark T. Swihart
Summary: Laser pyrolysis is used to rapidly heat precursors and induce decomposition and particle nucleation. By utilizing SF6, NaYF4 nanocrystals can be synthesized in a safe and efficient manner. This process shows potential for creating lanthanide-doped fluoride nanomaterials for various applications.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tao Jia, Jiarui Du, Jiani Yang, Yang Li, Tymish Y. Ohulchanskyy, Xikui Fang, Guanying Chen
Summary: Noninvasive sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has potential for brain glioma treatment, but is hindered by challenges such as the hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME), high levels of ROS scavenger glutathione (GSH), and the inability to visualize glioma in vivo. To address these challenges, researchers fabricated a core-shell heterostructure sonosensitizer that effectively inhibits GSH synthesis and provides precise optical imaging for treatment management and monitoring. The sonosensitizer showed efficient ROS generation and resulted in a significant reduction in glioma volume in experiments.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rak Hyun Jeong, Jae Hyeong Lee, Jin-Hyo Boo
Summary: This study successfully synthesized CdS/SnS/SnS2 photocatalysts with two Sn phases using a solvothermal method. It was found that when the SnS/SnS2 phase ratio was dominated by SnS, the degradation efficiency was optimal. This material showed high photocatalytic hydrogenation efficiency as well as efficient photocatalytic removal of Cr(VI).
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ming Zheng, Xin Zhou, Yixin Wang, Gang Chen, Mingxia Li
Summary: Due to the differences in atomic arrangement and electronic structures, solid catalysts with different crystal planes have different catalytic properties. Therefore, studying the reaction mechanism on different crystal planes of catalysts at the atomic level is helpful to better understand the structure-activity relationship and improve the activity of catalysts.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Patryk Falat, Min Ying Tsang, Irena Maliszewska, Szymon J. Zelewski, Bartlomiej Cichy, Tymish Y. Ohulchanskyy, Marek Samoc, Marcin Nyk, Dominika Wawrzynczyk
Summary: In this study, an optically triggered anti-microbial treatment based on visible to ultraviolet up-conversion emission in lanthanide-doped yttrium silicates was enhanced. The synthesized powders showed up-conversion emission lines in both UVA and UVC regions, which were effective for decontamination purposes. The use of combined UVA and UVC irradiation generated by Pr3+ and Tm3+ co-doped phosphors demonstrated higher deactivation efficiency for pathogenic microorganisms.
MATERIALS ADVANCES
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Mochen Jia, Xu Chen, Ranran Sun, Di Wu, Xinjian Li, Zhifeng Shi, Guanying Chen, Chongxin Shan
Summary: Luminescent nanothermometry is a promising technique for accurately measuring the internal temperature of nanoscale objects. Lanthanide-based ratiometric luminescent thermometers, with their high photochemical stability, low toxicity, and superior thermometric performance, have found widespread applications in various fields. However, there are still debates regarding the underlying temperature-sensing mechanisms, the quantitative characterization of performance, and the reliability of temperature readouts. This review provides insights into the origin of thermal response luminescence, rationalizes the ratiometric scheme or thermometric mechanisms, discusses the problems in the characterization of thermometric performance, and showcases the cutting-edge design and emerging applications of lanthanide-based ratiometric thermometers. The challenges and opportunities for further advances in this field are also discussed.
