Optically Detected Degradation of NaYF4:Yb,Tm-Based Upconversion Nanoparticles in Phosphate Buffered Saline Solution

Olivija Plohl; Marco Kraft; Janez Kovač; Blaž Belec; Maja Ponikvar-Svet; Christian Würth; Darja Lisjak; Ute Resch-Genger

doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b03907

Optically Detected Degradation of NaYF₄:Yb,Tm-Based Upconversion Nanoparticles in Phosphate Buffered Saline Solution

Langmuir. 2017 Jan 17;33(2):553-560. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b03907. Epub 2017 Jan 3.

Authors

Olivija Plohl^{1

2}, Marco Kraft³, Janez Kovač¹, Blaž Belec^{1

2}, Maja Ponikvar-Svet¹, Christian Würth³, Darja Lisjak¹, Ute Resch-Genger³

Affiliations

¹ Jožef Stefan Institute , Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
² Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
³ Division 1.10 Biophotonics, Federal Institute of Materials Research and Testing (BAM) , 12489 Berlin, Germany.

PMID: 27992232
DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b03907

Abstract

In a proof-of-concept study, we assessed different analytical and spectroscopic parameters for stability screening of differently sized β-NaYF₄:20 mol % Yb³⁺, 2 mol % Tm³⁺ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) exemplarily in the bioanalytically relevant buffer phosphate buffered saline (PBS; pH 7.4) at 37 and 50 °C. This included the potentiometric determination of the amount of released fluoride ions, surface analysis with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. Based on these results, the luminescence lifetime of the 800 nm upconversion emission was identified as an optimum parameter for stability screening of UCNPs and changes in particle surface chemistry.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't