Tunable Narrow Band Emissions from Dye-Sensitized Core/Shell/Shell Nanocrystals in the Second Near-Infrared Biological Window.

ABSTRACT: We introduce a hybrid organic-inorganic system consisting of epitaxial NaYF₄:Yb³⁺/X³⁺@NaYbF₄@NaYF₄:Nd³⁺ (X = null, Er, Ho, Tm, or Pr) core/shell/shell (CSS) nanocrystal with organic dye, indocyanine green (ICG) on the nanocrystal surface. This system is able to produce a set of narrow band emissions with a large Stokes-shift (>200 nm) in the second biological window of optical transparency (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm), by directional energy transfer from light-harvesting surface ICG, via lanthanide ions in the shells, to the emitter X³⁺ in the core. Surface ICG not only increases the NIR-II emission intensity of inorganic CSS nanocrystals by ∼4-fold but also provides a broadly excitable spectral range (700-860 nm) that

SUBMITTER: Shao W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5474680 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature