Fabrication of fluorescent composite hydrogel using in situ synthesis of upconversion nanoparticles

Fluorescent composite hydrogels have found widespread applications, especially in spatial and temporal monitoring of in vivo hydrogel behaviors via the emitting optical signal. However, most existing fluorescent composite hydrogels suffer from limited capability of deep tissue imaging and complicated fabrication routes. We herein report a facile method for fabricating fluorescent composite hydrogels based on the in situ synthesis of NaYF₄:Yb, Er upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). This approach employs polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels as a template, where the interconnected pores within the hydrogel act as nanoreactors to confine the growth of nanocrystals. We then obtained a fluorescent composite hydrogel exhibiting upconversion fluorescence and enhanced mechanical properties. The fluorescence spectra show that the fluorescence intensity decreases with decreasing size of the UCNPs. We investigated the relationship between the optical properties of the fluorescent composite hydrogel and the incorporated UCNPs based on the morphology, size, and distribution of the UCNPs by using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, we demonstrated the applicability of the synthesized hydrogel for deep tissue imaging through an in vitro tissue penetration experiment. Compressive and dynamic rheological testing reveal enhanced mechanical properties with increasing UCNP concentration. The fabricated upconversion fluorescent composite hydrogel may pave the way for monitoring the in vivo behavior of biomimetic materials via deep tissue imaging.