The rise of multimodal nanoprobes has promoted the development of new methods to explore multiple molecular targets simultaneously or to combine various bioimaging tools in one assay to more clearly delineate localization and expression of biomarkers. Persistent luminescence nanophosphors (PLNPs) have been qualified as a promising contrast agent for in vivo imaging. The easy surface modification and proper nanostructure design strategy would favor the fabrication of PLNP-based multifunctional nanoprobes for biological application. In this paper, we have proposed novel multifunctional core-shell nanomaterials, applying the Mn4+ and Ge4+ co-doped gadolinium aluminate (GdAlO3:Mn4+,Ge4+) PLNPs as the near-infrared persistent luminescence emission center and introducing the gold nanoshell coated on the PLNPs to enhance the luminescence efficiency via plasmon resonance. Our developed core-shell nanoprobes have demonstrated the excellent features of ultrabrightness, superlong afterglow, good monodispersity, low toxicity, and excellent biocompatibility. The well-characterized nanoprobes have been utilized for trimodality in vivo imaging, with near-infrared persistent luminescence for optical imaging, Gd element for magnetic resonance imaging, and Au element for computed tomography imaging.
Keywords: bioimaging; gold nanoshell; persistent luminescence; plasmon enhancement; trimodality.