Issue 18, 2013

Enhanced upconversion luminescence in NaGdF4:Yb,Er nanocrystals by Fe3+ doping and their application in bioimaging

Abstract

The visible green and red upconversion emissions in Er3+/Yb3+ doped β-NaGdF4 nanoparticles were enhanced by tridoping with Fe3+ ions (0–40 mol%). XRD, XPS, ICP-AES and EDS data demonstrated successful incorporation of Fe3+ ions in NaGdF4:Yb3+/Er3+ nanoparticles. The effect of Fe3+ tridoping on the upconversion luminescence in NaGdF4:Yb3+/Er3+ NPs was investigated in detail. The green and red emission intensities were enhanced by 34 and 30 times, respectively. The maximum emission was observed in a sample containing 30 mol% Fe3+ ions. A possible mechanism for the enhanced upconversion emission is proposed. In addition, a layer of silica was coated onto the surface of UCNPs to improve the biocompatibility. Folic acid was covalently linked to the silica coated UCNPs to form UCNP@SiO2FA nanoprobes, which have been successfully applied to the fluorescent imaging HeLa cells.

Graphical abstract: Enhanced upconversion luminescence in NaGdF4:Yb,Er nanocrystals by Fe3+ doping and their application in bioimaging

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
01 Apr 2013
Accepted
05 Jul 2013
First published
10 Jul 2013

Nanoscale, 2013,5, 8711-8717

Enhanced upconversion luminescence in NaGdF4:Yb,Er nanocrystals by Fe3+ doping and their application in bioimaging

P. Ramasamy, P. Chandra, S. W. Rhee and J. Kim, Nanoscale, 2013, 5, 8711 DOI: 10.1039/C3NR01608K

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