Dual functional NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ , Er 3+ @NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ , Nd 3+ core–shell nanoparticles for cell temperature sensing and imaging

Lanthanide-doped up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) provide a remote temperature sensing approach to monitoring biological microenvironments. In this research, the UCNPs of NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ , Er 3+ @NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ , Nd 3+ with hexagonal ( β )-phase were synthesized and applied in cell temperature sensing as well as imaging after surface modification with meso-2, 3-dimercaptosuccinic acid. In the core–shell UCNPs, Yb 3+ ions were introduced as energy transfer media between sensitizers of Nd 3+ and activators of Er 3+ to improve Er 3+ emission and prevent their quenching behavior due to multiple energy levels of Nd 3+ . Under the excitations of 808 nm and 980 nm lasers, the NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ , Er 3+ @NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ , Nd 3+ nanoparticles exhibited an efficient green band with two emission peaks at 525 nm and 545 nm, respectively, which originated from the transitions of 2 H 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 and 4 S 3/2 → 4 I 15/2 for Er 3+ ions. We demonstrate that an occurrence of good logarithmic linearity exists between the intensity ratio of these two emission peaks and the reciprocal of the inside or outside temperature of NIH-3T3 cells. A better thermal stability is proved through temperature-dependent spectra with a heating–cooling cycle. The obtained viability of NIH-3T3 cells is greater than 90% after incubations of about 12 and 24 (h), and they possess a lower cytotoxicity of UCNPs. This work provides a method for monitoring the cell temperature and its living state from multiple dimensions including temperature response, cell images and visual up-conversion fluorescent color.