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Rare earth nanocrystals with enhanced NIR-II luminescence

稀土纳米晶近红外二区发光增强研究进展

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In recent years, fluorescent materials centered on the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window have emerged as a new research area of interest for prospective biomedical applications. Among the latest generation of NIR-II probes, rare earth nanocrystals (RE NCs) have distinguished themselves by their remarkable optical properties, such as high stability, large Stokes/anti-Stokes shift, a broad excitation spectral bandwidth, and a prolonged fluorescence lifetime. Particularly, via ingenious design and meticulous manipulation of the structure and composition, the energy transfer and photon transition during the luminescence process can be precisely regulated, thereby achieving substantial optimization of optical performance. In this review, we will briefly outline the NIR-II emission mechanism of RE NCs and focus on the luminescence enhancement strategies of the latest advancements, with the intention of furnishing valuable references for research in related fields.

摘要

近几年来, 基于近红外二区(NIR-II)的荧光材料及其在生物医药领域的应用成为新的研究热点. 在新一代NIR-II纳米探针中, 稀土纳米晶的NIR-II发光表现出稳定性高、斯托克斯位移大、激发光谱带宽、 荧光寿命长等优点而备受关注. 最突出的特点是, 通过对稀土纳米晶进行设计, 可精确调控发光过程中的能量转移及光子跃迁, 从而大幅提高发光效率. 本文以稀土纳米晶为研究对象, 以NIR-II发光性能为评价指标, 全面回顾了近十年来发展的发光增强调控策略, 以期为相关领域的研究提供借鉴.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2021YFF0701800 and 2022YFF0710000) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22020102003, 22388101, 52372278, and 22125701).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Engineering Research Center of Advanced Rare Earth Materials (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Xuan Gao  (高璇), Kai Liu  (刘凯) & Hongjie Zhang  (张洪杰)

  2. State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China

    Jing Feng  (冯婧) & Hongjie Zhang  (张洪杰)

  3. School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China

    Jing Feng  (冯婧) & Hongjie Zhang  (张洪杰)

  4. Department of Stomatology, The Seventh Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100010, China

    Li Miao  (苗莉)

Authors
  1. Xuan Gao  (高璇)
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  2. Jing Feng  (冯婧)
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  3. Li Miao  (苗莉)
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  4. Kai Liu  (刘凯)
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  5. Hongjie Zhang  (张洪杰)
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Contributions

Author contributions Liu K developed the topic and outline for the manuscript; Gao X involved in gathering relevant information for the paper and drafted the initial version of the manuscript; Feng J, Miao L, Liu K, and Zhang H reviewed and revised the paper. All authors participated in discussion and provided feedback on the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Li Miao  (苗莉) or Kai Liu  (刘凯).

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Xuan Gao received her BS degree from Lanzhou University and PhD degree from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2017 and 2023, respectively. Then, she pursued her postdoctoral studies at the Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University. Her research interest is focused on the design of novel rare earth luminescent materials and their biomedical applications for diagnosis and treatment.

Jing Feng received her BS degree in chemistry from Inner Mongolia University in 2004 and then joined the group of Professor Hongjie Zhang at Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), where she received her PhD degree in inorganic chemistry in 2009. Currently, she is working as a professor at Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, CAS. Her research interests focus on the design and synthesis of rare earth luminescent materials for sensing, detection, and biomedical applications.

Kai Liu obtained his PhD degree from the University of Groningen, the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2015. He then pursued postdoctoral studies at both the University of Groningen in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Harvard University in the USA. In 2017, he was appointed as a principal investigator at Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, CAS, focusing on engineered biomaterials and high-tech applications. Subsequently, in 2020, he joined the Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University in Beijing. By 2023, he had been elevated to the position of tenured full professor. Currently, he leads a laboratory dedicated to research at the intersection of rare earth biotechnology, biosynthetic materials, and information technology.

Hongjie Zhang received his BS degree from Peking University in 1978 and MS degree from Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, CAS in 1985. Then, he worked as an assistant professor at the same institute until 1989. He then studied at Université de Bordeaux I, Laboratoire de Chimie du Solide du CNRS (France), where he received his PhD degree in solid-state chemistry and material sciences in 1993. He joined the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, CAS, as Professor in 1994. In 2019, he moved to the Department of Chemistry of Tsinghua University in Beijing and headed a laboratory performing research on lanthanide functional nanomaterials.

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Gao, X., Feng, J., Miao, L. et al. Rare earth nanocrystals with enhanced NIR-II luminescence. Sci. China Mater. 68, 947–961 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-024-3232-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-024-3232-y

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