Emerging ≈800 nm Excited Lanthanide-Doped Upconversion Nanoparticles

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) convert near-infrared light to visible/UV emissions.
• UCNPs possess unique photophysical properties, driving significant research in bio-applications.
• Challenges include low efficiency, limited hosts, and narrow excitation wavelengths.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize recent advances in ≈800 nm excited UCNPs.
• To highlight design, property tuning, and applications of these UCNPs.
• To discuss future development needs for UCNPs.

Main Methods:

• Focus on innovative strategies utilizing alternative sensitizers.
• Engineering UCNPs for excitation at ≈800 nm wavelength.
• Reviewing design, property tuning, and application studies.

Main Results:

• ≈800 nm excitation offers deep tissue penetration and low photothermal effect.
• These UCNPs show potential in biosensing, bioimaging, drug delivery, and therapy.
• Advances in design and property tuning have been achieved.

Conclusions:

• ≈800 nm excited UCNPs overcome limitations of traditional UCNPs.
• Their unique properties enable superior performance in various biomedical fields.
• Further development is crucial for meeting future application demands.