Direct Aqueous-Phase Synthesis of Sub-10 nm "Luminous Pearls" with Enhanced in Vivo Renewable Near-Infrared Persistent Luminescence.

ABSTRACT: Near-infrared (NIR) persistent luminescence nanoparticles (PLNPs), possessing unique NIR PL properties, have recently emerged as important materials for a wide variety of applications in chemistry and biology, for which they must endure high-temperature solid-state annealing reactions and subsequent complicated physical post-treatments. Herein, we report on a first direct aqueous-phase chemical synthesis route to NIR PLNPs and present their enhanced in vivo renewable NIR PL. Our method leads to monodisperse PLNPs as small as ca. 8 nm. Such sub-10 nm nanocrystals are readily dispersed and functionalized, and can form stable colloidal solutions in aqueous solution and cell culture medium for biological applications. Under biotissue-penetrable red-light excitation, we found that such nanocrys

SUBMITTER: Li Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4416279 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature