Organic functionalization of luminescent oxide nanoparticles toward their application as biological probes

Luminescent inorganic nanoparticles are now widely studied for their applications as biological probes for in vitro or in vivo experiments. The functionalization of the particles is a key step toward these applications, since it determines the control of the coupling between the particles and the biological species of interest. This paper is devoted to the case of rare earth doped oxide nanoparticles and their functionalization through their surface encapsulation with a functional polysiloxane shell. The first step of the process is the adsorption of silicate ions that will act as a primary layer for the further surface polymerization of the silane, either aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) or glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS). The amino- or epoxy- functions born by the silane allow the versatile coupling of the particles with bio-organic species following the chemistry that is commonly used in biochips. Special attention is paid to the careful characterization of each step of the functionalization process, especially concerning the average number of organic functions that are available for the final coupling of the particles with proteins. The surface density of amino or epoxy functions was found to be 0.4 and 1.9 functions per square nanometer for GPTMS and APTES silanized particles, respectively. An example of application of the amino-functionalized particles is given for the coupling with alpha-bungarotoxins. The average number (up to 8) and the distribution of the number of proteins per particle are given, showing the potentialities of the functionalization process for the labeling of biological species.