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Currently, lanthanide (Ln 3+ )-doped near-infrared (NIR)-emitting double perovskites (DPs) suffer from low photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Herein, we develop a new class of NIR-emitting DPs based on Ln 3+ -doped Cs 2 (Na/Ag)BiCl 6 . Benefiting from the Na + -induced breakdown of local site symmetry in the Cs 2 AgBiCl 6 DPs, effective NIR emissions of Ln 3+ are realized through Bi 3+ sensitization. Specifically, 7.3-fold and 362.9-fold enhanced NIR emissions of Yb 3+ and Er 3+ are achieved in Cs 2 Ag 0.2 Na 0.8 BiCl 6 DPs relative to those in Na-free Cs 2 AgBiCl 6 counterparts, respectively. The optimal absolute NIR PLQYs for Yb 3+ and Er 3+ in Cs 2 Ag 0.2 Na 0.8 BiCl 6 DPs are determined to be 19.0 % and 4.3 %, respectively. Raman spectroscopy and first-principles density functional theory calculations verify the sublattice distortion in Cs 2 (Na/Ag)BiCl 6 DPs via Na + doping. These findings provide fundamental insights into the design of efficient NIR-emitting Ln 3+ -doped DPs for versatile optoelectronic applications., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Stimuli-responsive nanoagents, which simultaneously satisfy normal tissue clearance and tumor-specific responsive treatment, are highly attractive for precise cancer theranostics. Herein, we develop a unique template-induced self-assembly strategy for the exquisitely controlled synthesis of self-assembled lanthanide (Ln 3+ ) nucleotide nanoparticles (LNNPs) with amorphous structure and tunable size from sub-5 nm to 105 nm. By virtue of the low-temperature (10 K) and high-resolution spectroscopy, the local site symmetry of Ln 3+ in LNNPs is unraveled for the first time. The proposed LNNPs are further demonstrated to possess the ability for highly efficient loading and tumor-microenvironment-responsive release of doxorubicin. Particularly, sub-5 nm LNNPs not only exhibit excellent biocompatibility and predominant renal-clearance performance, but also enable efficient tumor retention. These findings reveal the great potential of LNNPs as a new generation of therapeutic platform to overcome the dilemma between efficient therapy and long-term toxicity of nanoagents for future clinical applications., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Lanthanide (Ln 3+ )-doped upconversion (UC) nanoprobes, which have drawn extensive attention for various bioapplications, usually suffer from small absorption cross-sections and weak luminescence intensity of Ln 3+ ions. Herein, we report the controlled synthesis of a new class of Ln 3+ -doped UC nanoprobes based on CsLu 2 F 7 :Yb/Er nanocrystals (NCs), which can effectively increase the intersystem crossing (ISC) efficiency from singlet excited state to triplet excited state of IR808 up to 99.3 % through the heavy atom effect. By virtue of the efficient triplet sensitization of IR808, the optimal UC luminescence (UCL) intensity of IR808-modified CsLu 2 F 7 :Yb/Er NCs is enhanced by 1309 times upon excitation at 808 nm. Benefiting from the intense dye-triplet-sensitized UCL, the nanoprobes are demonstrated for sensitive assay of extracellular and intracellular hypochlorite with an 808-nm/980-nm dual excited ratiometric strategy., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Herein, we report the design of novel ultraviolet luminescent CsPbCl 3 nanocrystals (NCs) with the emission peak at 381 nm through doping of cadmium ions. Subsequently, a surface passivation strategy with CdCl 2 is adopted to improve their photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) with the maximum value of 60.5 %, which is 67 times higher than that of the pristine counterparts. The PLQY of the surface passivated NCs remains over 50 % after one week while the pristine NCs show negligible emission. By virtue of density functional theory calculations, we reveal that the higher PLQY and better stability after surface passivation may result from the significant elimination of surface chloride vacancy (V Cl ) defects. These findings provide fundamental insights into the optical manipulation of metal ion-doped CsPbCl 3 NCs., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The synthesis of hydrophilic lanthanide-doped nanocrystals (Ln 3+ -NCs) with molecular recognition ability for bioimaging currently remains a challenge. Herein, we present an effective strategy to circumvent this bottleneck by encapsulating Ln 3+ -NCs in graphene oxide (NCs@GO). Monodisperse NCs@GO was prepared by optimizing GO size and core-shell structure of NaYF 4 :Yb,Er@NaYF 4 , thus combining the intense visible/near-infrared II (NIR-II) luminescence of NCs and the unique surface properties and biomedical functions of GO. Such nanostructures not only feature broad solvent dispersibility, efficient cell uptake, and excellent biocompatibility but also enable further modifications with various agents such as DNA, proteins, or nanoparticles without tedious procedures. Moreover, we demonstrate in proof-of-concept experiments that NCs@GO can realize simultaneous intracellular tracking and microRNA-21 visualization, as well as highly sensitive in vivo tumor-targeted NIR-II imaging at 1525 nm., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Applications of persistent luminescence phosphors as night or dark-light vision materials in many technological fields have fueled up a growing demand for rational control over the emission profiles of the phosphors. This, however, remains a daunting challenge. Now a unique strategy is reported to fine-tune the persistent luminescence by using all-inorganic CsPbX 3 (X=Cl, Br, and I) perovskite quantum dots (PeQDs) as efficient light-conversion materials. Full-spectrum persistent luminescence with wavelengths covering the entire visible spectral region is achieved through tailoring of the PeQD band gap, in parallel with narrow bandwidth of PeQDs and highly synchronized afterglow decay owing to the single energy storage source. These findings break through the limitations of traditional afterglow phosphors, thereby opening up opportunities for persistent luminescence materials for applications such as a white-emitting persistent light source and dark-light multicolor displays., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have shown great promise in versatile bioapplications. For the first time, organosilica-shelled β-NaLuF4:Gd/Yb/Er nanoprobes with a rattle structure have been designed for dual-modal imaging and photodynamic therapy (PDT). Benefiting from the unique rattle structure and aromatic framework, these nanoprobes are endowed with a high loading capacity and the disaggregation effect of photosensitizers. After loading of β-carboxyphthalocyanine zinc or rose Bengal into the nanoprobes, we achieved higher energy transfer efficiency from UCNPs to photosensitizers as compared to those with conventional core-shell structure or with pure-silica shell, which facilitates a large production of singlet oxygen and thus an enhanced PDT efficacy. We demonstrated the use of these nanoprobes in proof-of-concept X-ray computed tomography (CT) and UC imaging, thus revealing the great potential of this multifunctional material as an excellent nanoplatform for cancer theranostics., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Conventional dissociation-enhanced lanthanide fluoroimmunoassays (DELFIA) using molecular probes suffer from a low labeling ratio of lanthanide ions (Ln(3+) ) per biomolecule. Herein, we develop a unique bioassay based on the dissolution-enhanced luminescence of inorganic lanthanide nanoparticles (NPs). As a result of the highly concentrated Ln(3+)  ions in a single Ln(3+)  NP, an extremely high Ln(3+)  labeling ratio can be achieved, which amplifies significantly the luminescence signal and thus improves the detection sensitivity compared to DELFIA. Utilizing sub-10 nm NaEuF4  NPs as dissolution-enhanced luminescent nanoprobes, we demonstrate the successful in vitro detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA, an important tumor marker) in human serum samples with a record-low detection limit of 0.1 pg mL(-1) (0.5 fM). This value is an improvement of approximately 3 orders of magnitude relative to that of DELFIA. The dissolution-enhanced luminescent bioassay shows great promise in versatile bioapplications, such as ultrasensitive and multiplexed in vitro detection of disease markers in clinical diagnosis., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have shown great promise in bioapplications. Exploring new host materials to realize efficient upconversion luminescence (UCL) output is a goal of general concern. Herein, we develop a unique strategy for the synthesis of novel LiLuF4 :Ln(3+) core/shell UCNPs with typically high absolute upconversion quantum yields of 5.0 % and 7.6 % for Er(3+) and Tm(3+) , respectively. Based on our customized UCL biodetection system, we demonstrate for the first time the application of LiLuF4 :Ln(3+) core/shell UCNPs as sensitive UCL bioprobes for the detection of an important disease marker β subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) with a detection limit of 3.8 ng mL(-1) , which is comparable to the β-hCG level in the serum of normal humans. Furthermore, we use these UCNPs in proof-of-concept computed tomography imaging and UCL imaging of cancer cells, thus revealing the great potential of LiLuF4 :Ln(3+) UCNPs as efficient nano-bioprobes in disease diagnosis., (Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)