Application of Rare-Earth Doped NaYF4 Nanocrystals For Biological Application

Lanthanide doped nanocrystals exhibit unique luminescent properties, including the ability to convert near infrared long-wavelength excitation radiation into shorter visible wavelengths through a process known as photon upconversion.

In recent years, they have been developed as a new class of luminescent optical labels that have become promising alternatives to organic fluorophores and quantum dots for biological applications, including medical imaging, smart drug delivery systems and sensors. These techniques offer low autofluorescence background, large anti-Stokes shifts, sharp emission bandwidths, high resistance to photobleaching, and high penetration depth and temporal resolution that enhance the selectivity and sensitivity of conventional methods.

This seminar focuses on the recent development of various synthetic approaches, chemical tuning of upconversion properties, as well as biological applications of these luminescent nanocrystals.