Temperature Sensing Properties of Biocompatible Yb/Er-Doped GdF3 and YF3 Mesocrystals

Ivana Dinić; Marina Vuković; Maria Eugenia Rabanal; Milica Milošević; Marta Bukumira; Nina Tomić; Miloš Tomić; Lidija Mančić; Nenad Ignjatović

doi:10.3390/jfb15010006

Temperature Sensing Properties of Biocompatible Yb/Er-Doped GdF₃ and YF₃ Mesocrystals

J Funct Biomater. 2023 Dec 22;15(1):6. doi: 10.3390/jfb15010006.

Authors

Ivana Dinić¹, Marina Vuković², Maria Eugenia Rabanal³, Milica Milošević⁴, Marta Bukumira⁵, Nina Tomić¹, Miloš Tomić¹, Lidija Mančić¹, Nenad Ignjatović¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Technical Science of SASA, 110000 Belgrade, Serbia.
² Innovative Centre, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, 110000 Belgrade, Serbia.
³ Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and IAAB, 28903 Madrid, Spain.
⁴ Department of Radiation Chemistry and Physics, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Vinča, 110000 Belgrade, Serbia.
⁵ Institute of Physics Belgrade, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 110000 Belgrade, Serbia.

Abstract

Y_0.8-xGd_xF₃:Yb/Er mesocrystals with a biocompatible surface and diverse morphological characteristics were successfully synthesized using chitosan-assisted solvothermal processing. Their structural properties, studied using X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis, were further correlated with the up-conversion emission (λ_exc = 976 nm) recorded in function of temperature. Based on the change in the visible green emissions originating from the thermally coupled ²H_11/2 and ⁴S_3/2 levels of Er³⁺, the corresponding LIR was acquired in the physiologically relevant range of temperatures (25-50 °C). The detected absolute sensitivity of about 0.0042 °C^-1, along with the low cytotoxicity toward both normal human lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) and cancerous lung epithelial (A549) cells, indicate a potential for use in temperature sensing in biomedicine. Additionally, their enhanced internalization in cells, without suppression of cell viability, enabled in vitro labeling of cancer and healthy cells upon 976 nm laser irradiation.

Keywords: GdF3; YF3; chitosan; cytotoxicity; mesocrystals; optical thermometry; up-conversion.

Grants and funding

The research was funded by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia on the research programs: Grant No. 451-03-47/2023–01/200175 (Institute of Technical Sciences of SASA), Grant No. 451-03-47/2023–01/200288 (Innovative Centre, Faculty of Chemistry, UB) and Grant No. 451-03-47/2023–01/200017 (Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences). The M.B. acknowledges funding provided by the Institute of Physics Belgrade, through the grant by Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia. The full waiver of APC is applied.