The morphology and surface charge-dependent cellular uptake efficiency of upconversion nanostructures revealed by single-particle optical microscopy.

ABSTRACT: The cellular uptake efficiency of nanostructures has been demonstrated to be highly dependent on the surface charge, size and shape although the cellular internalization process is still far from being well-understood. In this work, a series of NaYF₄:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) with different morphologies and surface coatings were prepared to explore the influence of surface charge and morphology on the cellular internalization process with single-particle fluorescence microscopy. It is found that the higher the surface charge and larger the surface-to-volume ratio of the nanoparticles, the more efficient the cellular uptake will be. Particularly, the surface charge is demonstrated to be the primary influence factor for small sized nanopar

SUBMITTER: Zhang D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6001388 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature