Multicolor polystyrene nanospheres tagged with up-conversion fluorescent nanocrystals
Haisheng Qian1, Zhengquan Li, Yong Zhang
1Division of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Blk, E3A-04-15, National University of Singapore, 7 Engineering Drive 1, 117574, Singapore.
Nanotechnology
|August 11, 2011
Summary
New up-conversion fluorescent materials offer enhanced sensitivity for biodetection. These near-infrared-to-visible (NIR-to-visible) materials minimize photo-damage and background noise, improving bioimaging accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Conventional down-conversion fluorescent materials have limitations in biodetection and bioimaging.
- Near-infrared-to-visible (NIR-to-visible) up-conversion fluorescent materials offer advantages like reduced photo-damage and lower background fluorescence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize uniform hexagonal sodium yttrium fluoride (NaYF4) nanocrystals with up-conversion fluorescence.
- To develop monodisperse polystyrene nanospheres encapsulating these nanocrystals for multicolor NIR-to-visible emission.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of uniform hexagonal NaYF4 (β-NaYF4) nanocrystals.
- Miniemulsion polymerization to create polystyrene nanospheres (400 nm diameter).
- Encapsulation of multiple β-NaYF4 nanocrystals within each nanosphere.
Main Results:
- Successfully synthesized monodisperse polystyrene nanospheres tagged with multicolor β-NaYF4 nanocrystals.
- Each nanosphere encapsulated over 20 β-NaYF4 nanocrystals.
- The resulting nanospheres exhibited multicolor NIR-to-visible up-conversion fluorescence upon 980 nm excitation.
Conclusions:
- The developed nanospheres demonstrate potential for high-sensitivity biomolecule detection.
- These materials are suitable for various biological applications requiring sensitive detection.
- The NIR-to-visible up-conversion fluorescence offers advantages for bioimaging and biodetection.
