Exploring new fields: Lanthanide‐using bacteria that turn over methane or methanol in their metabolism can replace essential lanthanides by certain actinides. In their Research Article (e202303669), ...Lena J. Daumann et al. show that an extremophile isolated from a volcanic mud‐pot as well as a methylotrophic laboratory strain can use americium and curium. In vivo growth experiments as well as in vitro studies with the key metabolic enzyme methanol dehydrogenase support that these actinides can sustain the one‐carbon metabolism of these bacteria.
The use of lanthanide elements for applications in various industries such as the chemical industry and in biomedical engineering is examined. Topics discussed include lanthanide nanoparticles as MRI ...contrast agents, lanthanide upconversion nanoparticles for biosensing, bioimaging, and therapy and nanoceria for nanomedicine.
The enthusiasm for research on lanthanide‐doped upconversion nanoparticles is driven by both a fundamental interest in the optical properties of lanthanides embedded in different host lattices and ...their promise for broad applications ranging from biological imaging to photodynamic therapy. Despite the considerable progress made in the past decade, the field of upconversion nanoparticles has been hindered by significant experimental challenges associated with low upconversion conversion efficiencies. Recent experimental and theoretical studies on upconversion nanoparticles have, however, led to the development of several effective approaches to enhancing upconversion luminescence, which could have profound implications for a range of applications. Herein we present the underlying principles of controlling energy transfer through lanthanide doping, overview the major advances and key challenging issues in improving upconversion luminescence, and consider the likely directions of future research in the field.
Lighten up: Light trapping by upconversion nanoparticles often suffers from low conversion efficiency because of the small absorption cross‐section and surface quenching effects of the nanoparticles. To this end, effective strategies have been developed to enhance upconversion luminescence, thus paving the way for new biological approaches and inexpensive energy conversion methods.
The self-assembly of Dy(III) -3-hydroxypyridine (3-OHpy) complexes with hexacyanidocobaltate(III) anions in water produces cyanido-bridged {Dy(III) (3-OHpy)2 (H2 O)4 Co(III) (CN)6 }⋅H2 O (1) chains. ...They reveal a single-molecule magnet (SMM) behavior with a large zero direct current (dc) field energy barrier, ΔE=266(12) cm(-1) (≈385 K), originating from the single-ion property of eight-coordinated Dy(III) of an elongated dodecahedral geometry, which are embedded with diamagnetic Co(III) (CN)6 (3-) ions into zig-zag coordination chains. The SMM character is enhanced by the external dc magnetic field, which results in the ΔE of 320(23) cm(-1) (≈460 K) at Hdc =1 kOe, and the opening of a butterfly hysteresis loop below 6 K. Complex 1 exhibits white Dy(III) -based emission realized by energy transfer from Co(III) and 3-OHpy to Dy(III) . Low temperature emission spectra were correlated with SMM property giving the estimation of the zero field ΔE. 1 is a unique example of bifunctional magneto-luminescent material combining white emission and slow magnetic relaxation with a large energy barrier, both controlled by rich structural and electronic interplay between Dy(III) , 3-OHpy, and Co(III) (CN)6 (3-) .
We report a new dicalcium silicate phosphor, Ca(2-x)Eu(x)SiO4, which emits red light in response to blue-light excitation. When excited at 450 nm, deep-red emission at 650 nm was clearly observed in ...Ca1.2Eu0.8SiO4, the external and internal quantum efficiencies of which were 44 % and 50 %, respectively. The red emission from Ca(2-x)Eu(x)SiO4 was strongly related to the peculiar coordination environments of Eu(2+) in two types of Ca sites. The red-emitting Ca2SiO4:Eu(2+) phosphors are promising materials for next-generation, white-light-emitting diode applications.
Time-resolved (TR) photoluminescence (PL) biosensing has been widely adopted in many research and medical institutions. However, commercial molecular TRPL bioprobes like lanthanide (Ln
3+
)-chelates ...suffer from poor photochemical stability and long-term toxicity. Inorganic Ln
3+
-doped nanocrystals (NCs), owing to their superior physicochemical properties over Ln
3+
-chelates, are regarded as a new generation of luminescent nanoprobes for TRPL biosensing. The long-lived PL of Ln
3+
-doped NCs combined with the TRPL technique is able to completely suppress the interference of the short-lived background, resulting in a background-free signal and therefore a remarkable sensitivity for biosensing. In this feature article, we summarize the latest advancements in inorganic Ln
3+
-doped NCs as TRPL nano-bioprobes from their fundamental optical properties to their potential applications for ultrasensitive biodetection and high-resolution bioimaging. Future efforts towards the commercialization of these nanoprobes are also proposed.
In this feature article, we review the latest advancements in lanthanide-doped luminescent nanocrystals as time-resolved luminescent nano-bioprobes, from their fundamental optical properties to their potential applications for ultrasensitive biodetection and high-resolution bioimaging.
A nanohybrid made of a xanthenic dye, rose bengal, grafted to an ytterbium and erbium codoped upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) served as a proof-of-concept to evaluate the fundamental mechanisms ...which govern the dye photophysics upon interaction with the UCNP. Both photoactive lanthanides strongly influence the singlet and triplet excited states of rose bengal.
The photophysical behavior of rose bengal dramatically changes when functionalizing an upconversion nanoparticle due to its interaction with photoactive lanthanide cations of the matrix.
