Dual-light emitting Yb3+,Er3+-codoped α-La(IO3)3 nanocrystals, known to exhibit both second harmonic signal and photoluminescence (PL), are evaluated as optical nanoprobes and thermal sensors using both conventional microscopes and a more sophisticated micro-PL setup. When loaded in cortical and hippocampal neurons for a few hours at a concentration of 0.01 mg/mL, a visible PL signal arising from the nanocrystals can be clearly detected using an epifluorescent conventional microscope, enabling to localize the nanocrystals along the stained neurons and to record PL variation with temperature of 0.5% K-1. No signal of cytotoxicity, associated with the presence of nanocrystals, is observed during the few hours of the experiment. Alternatively, a micro-PL setup can be used to discriminate the different PL lines. From ratiometric PL measurements, a relative thermal sensitivity of 1.2% K-1 was measured.
Keywords: biophotonics; harmonic iodate nanocrystals; luminescence; nanothermometry; neurons.