Autofluorescence-Free In Vivo Imaging Using Polymer-Stabilized Nd3+-Doped YAG Nanocrystals
- 6 November 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
- Vol. 12 (46), 51273-51284
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.0c15514
Abstract
Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG:Nd3+) has been widely developed during roughly the past 60 years and has been an outstanding fluorescent material. It has been considered as the gold standard among multipurpose solid-state lasers. Yet, the successful downsizing of this system into the nanoregimen has been elusive, so far. Indeed, the synthesis of a garnet structure at the nanoscale, with enough crystalline quality for optical applications, was found to be quite challenging. Here, we present an improved solvothermal synthesis method producing YAG:Nd3+ nanocrystals of remarkably good structural quality. Adequate surface functionalization using asymmetric double-hydrophilic block copolymers, constituted of a metal-binding block and a neutral water-soluble block, provides stabilized YAG:Nd3+ nanocrystals with long-term colloidal stability in aqueous suspensions. These newly stabilized nanoprobes offer spectroscopic quality (long lifetimes, narrow emission lines, and large Stokes shifts) close to that of bulk YAG:Nd3+. The narrow emission lines of YAG:Nd3+ nanocrystals are exploited by differential infrared fluorescence imaging, thus achieving an autofluorescence-free in vivo readout. In addition, nanothermometry measurements, based on the ratiometric fluorescence of the stabilized YAG:Nd3+ nanocrystals, are demonstrated. The progress here reported paves the way for the implementation of this new stabilized YAG:Nd3+ system in the preclinical arena.Funding Information
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-17-CE09-0035-01)
- Comunidad de Madrid (2019-T1/IND-14014, B2017/BMD-3867RENIMCM)
- Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovaci?n y Universidades (PID2019-106211RB-I00)
- European Commission
- Ministerio de Econom?a y Competitividad (IMP18_38(2018/0265, MAT2016-75362-C3-1-R)
- Fonds de Recherche du Qu?bec - Nature et Technologies
- H2020 Future and Emerging Technologies (801305)
- European Cooperation in Science and Technology (CA17140)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (UMR 5623 CNRS-UPS)
- China Scholarship Council (201704910867)
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CD17/00210, PI16/00812, PI19/00565)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
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