(α-NaYbF₄:Tm³⁺)/CaF₂ Core/Shell Nanoparticles with Efficient Near-Infrared to Near-Infrared Upconversion for High-Contrast Deep Tissue Bioimaging

TLDR

The study develops biocompatible core/shell (α‑NaYbF₄:Tm³⁺)/CaF₂ nanoparticles that enable highly efficient near‑infrared to near‑infrared upconversion for high‑contrast deep‑tissue bioimaging. When excited at ~980 nm, the nanoparticles emit ~800 nm photoluminescence, achieving high upconversion efficiency by heteroepitaxial CaF₂ shell growth that suppresses surface quenching and boosts PL intensity 35‑fold. The particles exhibit a 0.6 % quantum yield under low‑power excitation, enabling small‑animal whole‑body imaging with a signal‑to‑background ratio of 310 and high‑contrast deep‑tissue imaging in rat femoral bone and through 3.2 cm of animal tissue.

Abstract

We describe the development of novel and biocompatible core/shell (α-NaYbF4:Tm3+)/CaF2 nanoparticles that exhibit highly efficient NIRin–NIRout upconversion (UC) for high contrast and deep bioimaging. When excited at ∼980 nm, these nanoparticles emit photoluminescence (PL) peaked at ∼800 nm. The quantum yield of this UC PL under low power density excitation (∼0.3 W/cm2) is 0.6 ± 0.1%. This high UC PL efficiency is realized by suppressing surface quenching effects via heteroepitaxial growth of a biocompatible CaF2 shell, which results in a 35-fold increase in the intensity of UC PL from the core. Small-animal whole-body UC PL imaging with exceptional contrast (signal-to-background ratio of 310) is shown using BALB/c mice intravenously injected with aqueously dispersed nanoparticles (700 pmol/kg). High-contrast UC PL imaging of deep tissues is also demonstrated, using a nanoparticle-loaded synthetic fibrous mesh wrapped around rat femoral bone and a cuvette with nanoparticle aqueous dispersion covered with a 3.2 cm thick animal tissue (pork).