Using NIR-emitting MgO:Li,Ce,Sm microparticles in the preparation of biophotonic glass - a promising approach to...

One significant challenge in working with reconstructive bioactive glass implants is the difficulty in postoperative imaging, due to their density being very similar to that of bone. One possibility to overcome this problem would be to use luminescent implants that could be imaged through tissue. This requires the emission from the implants to be within the so-called biological windows in deep red and near-infrared regions, where tissue absorption is minimal. Here, we show for the first time that MgO:Li,Ce,Sm phosphor particles emitting in red and near-infrared regions can be used to create a bioactive glass composite capable of emitting in the near-infrared region. We demonstrate that these materials show high promise for use in optical imaging through tissue under X-ray exposure. Such a technology has never been reported before. Thus, using the materials of this work may enable for the first time the identification and differentiation of implant and bone signals in a single simultaneous imaging setup.