Exploring Nanothermometry in the NIR-II Region and Hyperspectral Bioimaging with Lanthanide-Based Nanomaterials

• Grant number: 24/17123-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Rogéria Rocha Gonçalves
• Grantee: York Estewin Serge Correales
• Supervisor: Eva Hemmer
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Ottawa (uOttawa), Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/05351-8 - Development of lanthanide-doped persistent luminescence perovskite oxide nanoparticles for bioimaging and security labeling, BP.PD

Abstract

Luminescent nanoparticles have garnered significant interest for their diverse bioapplications, including disease diagnosis and treatment, nanometer-scale temperature sensing, and cellular bioimaging. Among the various types of nanomaterials explored for such purposes, lanthanide-based nanoparticles (Ln-NPs) stand out due to their unique optical properties, such as the ability to emit light across ultraviolet (UV), visible, and near-infrared (NIR) spectral regions through mechanisms like downshifting, downconversion, and upconversion. Furthermore, the ability of certain lanthanide-based materials to emit light for prolonged periods post-excitation, through phosphorescence or persistent luminescence, enables multifunctional applications in biomedicine. This project will focus on developing Ln-based nanomaterials, specifically perovskite-type oxides (Ba,CaTiO3:RE3+) and rare-earth fluoride nanoparticles (NaYbF4:RE3+@NaYF4), to investigate their potential in NIR nanothermometry and bioimaging based on visible and NIR-II emissions. Furthermore, advanced hyperspectral imaging techniques will be employed to study cellular uptake, localization, and nanoparticle tracking within biological systems, aiming to deepen the understanding of their behavior in complex cellular environments.