Near‐Infrared‐Sensitive Materials Based on Upconverting Nanoparticles

TLDR

The near‑infrared region, known as the therapeutic window, penetrates deep into tissue, making NIR‑sensitive materials attractive for biomedical use, and upconverting nanoparticles have recently been employed to build such materials. The study introduces methods to employ UCNPs in constructing NIR‑sensitive materials, highlights their biomedical applications, and discusses related challenges. UCNPs convert NIR light into UV or visible photons, which can trigger photoreactions in photosensitive materials, enabling the construction of NIR‑sensitive systems.

Abstract

The near-infrared (NIR) region of the spectrum is called the "therapeutic window" because NIR light can penetrate deeply into tissue. Therefore, NIR-sensitive materials are attractive for biomedical applications. Recently, upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) were used to construct NIR-sensitive materials. UCNPs convert NIR light to UV or visible light, which can trigger photoreactions of photosensitive materials. Here, how to use UCNPs to construct NIR-sensitive materials is introduced, applications of NIR-sensitive materials with a focus on biomedical applications are highlighted, and the associated challenges are discussed.