TY - JOUR
A1 - Homann, Christian
A1 - Peeters, Régis
A1 - Mirmajidi, Hana
A1 - Berg, Jessica
A1 - Fay, Michael
A1 - Rodrigues, Lucas Carvalho Veloso
A1 - Radicchi, Eros
A1 - Jain, Akhil
A1 - Speghini, Adolfo
A1 - Hemmer, Eva
T1 - Rapid microwave-assisted synthesis of morphology-controlled luminescent lanthanide-doped Gd2O2S nanostructures
N2 - Gadolinium oxysulfide (Gd2O2S) is an attractive material of demonstrated suitability for a variety of imaging applications, leveraging its magnetic, scintillating, and luminescent properties, particularly when doped with optically active lanthanide ions (Ln3+). For many of these applications, control over size and morphology at the nanoscale is crucial. This study demonstrates the rapid microwave-assisted Synthesis of colloidal Ln2O2S (Ln = Gd and dopants Yb, Er, Tb) nanostructures in as little as 20 min. Structural characterization using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, as well as Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), including elemental mapping via energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), unveiled the key role of elemental sulphur (S8) in the reaction mixtures for materials growth. By systematically varying the Ln-to-S ratio from 1 : 0.5 to 1 : 15, controlled morphologies ranging from triangular nanoplatelets to berry- and flower-like shapes were achieved. Doping with Er3+/Yb3+ endowed the nano-triangles with upconverting and near-infrared emitting properties. Tb3+-doped Gd2O2S exhibited the characteristic green Tb3+ emission under UV excitation, while also showing X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL), rendering the material interesting as a potential nano-scintillator.
KW - Upconversion
KW - Microwave-assisted synthesis
KW - Synthesis
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - NIR
KW - XRD
KW - X-ray fluoressence
KW - Morphology control
KW - Raman
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-647907
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D5TC01646K
SN - 2050-7526
VL - 13
IS - 35
SP - 18492
EP - 18507
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
AN - OPUS4-64790
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Oskoei, Párástu
T1 - Effects of upconversion nanoparticles with a thermo-responsive nanovalve loaded with doxorubicin in melanoma cells
N2 - Melanoma skin cancer has an increasingly higher incidence , and w hen detected in advanced stages, tumour eradication is often incomplete, contributing to poor prognosis with conventional treatments. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have unique properties, such as excitability under near infrared (NIR) excitation light, which confers a relatively high penetration depth in tissue that allow their effective use in several biomedical applications Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) with nanovalves or derived coatings have widely been used for triggered and targeted drug delivery in the past. Anticancer drugs can be loaded into the pores of MSN, enabling controlled drug release. In this work, UCNPs were coated with a mesoporous silica shell yielding UCNP@MSN core shell nanoparticles which were equipped with thermoresponsive retro Diels Alder nanovalves and then loaded with DOX , a chemotherapeutic agent for melanoma treatmen t (UCNP@MSN DOX) Subsequent DOX release from this drug delivery system was triggered by 980 nm NIR light. Melanoma cells exposed to UCNP@MSN DOX or the NIR laser exhibited no change in ROS production , while the combination of both induced an increase in ROS production. This combination of conditions also induced changes on apoptosis and necrosis levels. These findings underscore the potential use of UCNP @MSN drug delivery systems with thermoresponsive caps as effective drug delivery platforms for melanoma therapy.
T2 - VII iBiMED Symposium
CY - Aveiro, Portugal
DA - 23.05.2025
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Upconversion
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Mesoporous silica
KW - Doxorubicin
KW - Nanomedicine
KW - Triggered release
KW - pH
KW - Cellular uptake
KW - Toxicity
KW - Folate
KW - Ligand
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64373
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Oskoei, Párástu
T1 - Cell mechanisms induced by doxorubicin-loaded UCNP@MSN nanoparticles with a thermosresponsive nanovalve in melanoma cells
N2 - Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) exhibit several remarkable optical properties, including excitation by near infrared (NIR) light, which enables deep tissue penetration, multiple distinct emission bands across a wide range of wavelengths, long luminescen ce lifetimes, and high photostability. These features make them particularly attractive for various biomedical applications. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), functionalized with nanovalves or specific coatings, have been explored for controlled and targeted drug delivery, where therapeutic agents are encapsulated within the nanopores, allowing spatiotemporal release 1 3 ]]. Among the promising approaches, photoactivated drug delivery systems have drawn considerable interest due to their versatility and potential. One relevant application is in the treatment of melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer with a rising global incidence. In advanced stages, conventional therapies often fail to achieve complete tumour eradication, resulting in poor prognose s 4 In this study, UCNPs were coated with a mesoporous silica shell to form core shell UCNP@MSN nanoparticles, which were further functionalized with thermoresponsive retro Diels Alder nanovalves and loaded with doxorubicin (DOX), a chemotherapeutic drug used in melanoma treatment. Upon exposure to 980 nm NIR light, DOX release was successfully triggered in the culture medium. Exposure to functionalized UCNPs decreased the viability of the tested melanoma cell lines, with further reductions observed when the ex posure to the nanoparticles was combined with irradiation. Subsequently, t he toxicity mechanisms were evaluated and showed that w hile individual treatments with either the functionalized UCNPs or NIR irradiation alone had no effect on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, their combination significantly increased ROS levels in two of the three tested cell lines. This combined treatment also led to notable increases in apoptotic , necrotic or both type of cells’ percentages on all cell lines. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of these nanoparticles with thermoresponsive gating mechanisms as effective platforms for targeted drug delivery in melanoma therapy.
T2 - EUROTOX 2025
CY - Athens, Greece
DA - 14.09.2025
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Upconversion
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Mesoporous silica
KW - Doxorubicin
KW - Nanomedicine
KW - Triggered release
KW - pH
KW - Cellular uptake
KW - Toxicity
KW - Folate
KW - Ligand
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64372
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Oskoei, Parastu
T1 - Thermoresponsive UCNP@MSN Nanoparticles for Doxorubicin Delivery in Melanoma Cells
N2 - Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) possess unique photophysical characteristics, such as excita bility by near infrared (NIR) light, which facilitates deep tissue penetration, multi color emission , long luminescence lifetimes, and an excellent photostability. These features have made UCNPs promising tools for biomedical applications . M esoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) functionalized with stimuli responsive nanovalves or specific coatings enable the encapsulation and controlled release of therapeutic agen ts, thereby offering spatiotemporal precision in drug delivery 1 3 ]]. Among drug delivery strategies, photoresponsive systems have attracted growing attention due to their potential for clinical applications . This is especially relevant for melanoma, an aggressive skin cancer with increasing global incidence, for which conventional therapeutic modalities remain largely insufficient in advanced stage 4 In this work, core shell UCNP@MSN nanoparticles were synthetised by coating UCNPs with a mesoporous silica layer, which was subsequently functionalized with thermoresponsive retro Diels Alder nanovalves [ and loaded with the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DOX). Controlled drug release was effectively achieved under 980 nm NIR i llumination . Treatment with functionalized nanoparticles significantly reduced the viability of melanoma cell lines, with an enhanced cytotoxicity being observed upon combined nanoparticle exposure and NIR illumination . Mechanistic analyses revealed that neither UCNPs nor NIR i llumination alone could induce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS); however, their combination induced a marked increase in ROS levels in two of the three tested cell lines. Furthermore, this dual treatment promoted substantial apoptotic and/or necrotic responses across all cell models. These findings underscore the potential of UCNP@MSN nanoplatforms, equipped with thermoresponsive ga tes , as efficient photoactivated drug delivery systems for melanoma therapy.
T2 - Conference Jornadas CICECO
CY - Aveiro, Portugal
DA - 09.10.2025
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Upconversion
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Mesoporous silica
KW - Doxorubicin
KW - Nanomedicine
KW - Triggered release
KW - pH
KW - Cellular uptake
KW - Toxicity
KW - Folate
KW - Ligand
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64371
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kossatz, Philipp
A1 - Mezhov, Alexander
A1 - Andresen, Elina
A1 - Prinz, Carsten
A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Assessing the Applicability of Lanthanide-Based Upconverting Nanoparticles for Optically Monitoring Cement Hydration and Tagging Building Materials
N2 - Chemically stable, lanthanide-based photon upconversion micro- and nanoparticles (UCNPs) with their characteristic multicolor emission bands in the ultraviolet (UV), visible (vis), near-infrared (NIR), and short-wave infrared (SWIR) arepromising optical reporters and barcoding tags. To assess the applicability of UCNPs for the monitoring of early stage cement hydration processes and as authentication tags for cementitious materials, we screened the evolution of the luminescence of Selfmade core-only NaYF4:Yb,Er UCNPs and commercial μm-sized Y2O2S:Yb,Er particles during the first stages of cement hydration, which largely determines the future properties of the hardened material. Parameters explored from the UCNP side included particle size, morphology, surface chemistry or coating, luminescence properties, and concentration in different cement mixtures. From the cement side, the influence of the mineral composition of the cement matrix was representatively examined for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and its constituents tricalcium aluminate (C3A), tricalcium silicate (C3S), and gypsum at different water to cement ratios. Based on reflection and luminescence measurements, enabling online monitoring, which were complemented by XRD and isothermal heat-flow calorimetric measurements to determine whether the incorporation of these particles could impair cement hydration processes, well suited lanthanide particle reporters could be identified as well as application conditions. In addition, thereby the reporter influence on cement hydration kinetics could be minimized while still preserving a high level of information content. The best performance for the luminescence probing of changes during early stage cement hydration processes was observed for 25 nm-sized oleate (OA)-coated UCNPs added in a concentration of 0.1 wt %. Higher UCNP amounts of 1.0 wt % delayed cement hydration processes size- and surface coatingspecifically in the first 24 h. Subsequent luminescence stability screening studies performed over a period of about one year support the applicability of UCNPs as optical authentication tags for construction materials.
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Synthesis
KW - Quantum yield
KW - NIR
KW - Mechanism
KW - Characterization
KW - XRD
KW - Calorimetry
KW - Advanced material
KW - Cement
KW - Monitoring
KW - Surface
KW - Size
KW - Lifetime
KW - Barcode
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Upconversion
KW - Encoding
KW - Method
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-638318
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.5c02236
SN - 2470-1343
VL - 10
IS - 29
SP - 31587
EP - 31599
PB - ACS Publications
CY - Washington, DC
AN - OPUS4-63831
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Andresen, Elina
T1 - Lanthanide based multi element nanoparticles: a versatile platform for surface chemistry analysis and potential reference materials
N2 - The use of engineered nanoparticles of different size, shape, and composition is continuously increasing in the life and materials sciences. This calls for methods and reference materials enabling the reliable and accurate determination of nanoparticle size, particle size distribution, shape, number concentration, degree of aggregation and agglomeration in different environments as well as for nanoparticle dispersibility and stability.
We are currently building up and exploring a platform of lanthanide-based nanocrystals (LnNCs) with application-specifically tuned size, shape, composition, architecture, optical properties, and surface chemistry for emerging applications in life sciences. As a prerequisite for the broad applicability of these nanomaterials, we assess simple, robust, and easily upscaleable synthesis protocols for LnNCs with defined morphologies and tunable optical properties, and the short-term and long-term stability of LnNCs with selected surface coatings in aqueous environments under different application-relevant conditions.
T2 - Anakon 2025
CY - Leipzig, Germany
DA - 10.03.2025
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Method
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Synthesis
KW - Upconversion
KW - Ligand
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Particle number concentration
KW - Reference material
KW - Surface chemistry
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-62768
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Arai, Marylyn Setsuko
A1 - Ravaro, Leandro Piaggi
A1 - Brambilla, Gabriel
A1 - Maia, Lauro June Queiroz
A1 - Reza Dousti, Mohammad
A1 - de Camargo, Andrea Simone Stucchi
T1 - Upconverting Nanoparticles and Cu(I) Complex-Based Platform for Oxygen Sensing, Thermometry, and Emission Color Tuning
N2 - Multifunctional nanoplatforms combine different material properties to meet a wide range of applications, allowing highly customizable systems. In this rapidly advancing research field, we introduce a multifunctional nanomaterial based on the synergy between Tm3+-doped upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) and a Cu(I) complex (CuCom). This material is designed for oxygen sensing, optical thermometry, and emission color tuning. In various concentrations, the CuCom complex was electrostatically integrated into a mesoporous silica shell surrounding the core UCNPs (UCNP@mSiO2). The optimized system, UCNP@mSiO2@CuCom-10, was evaluated for different applications. Due to the spectral overlap between the CuCom absorption and the nanoparticles emission, excitation at 980 nm allows most of the UV-blue emission output from the UCNPs to be transferred to the CuCom via luminescent resonance energy transfer (LRET), producing red emission from the molecule. The remaining Tm3+ emission enables optical thermometry, while CuCom’s sensitivity to molecular oxygen supports its application in gas sensing. In upconversion mode, the nanoplatform achieved a Stern−Volmer constant for O2 sensing of 1.64 and demonstrated thermometric relative sensitivities of 0.9% and 1% K−1 at room temperature, with a linear response from 193 to 373 K. Additionally, the emission color of UCNP@mSiO2@CuCom-10 can be tuned from blue to white and yellow, by varying the excitation and temperature, adding further functionality to the system. This multifunctional platform suggests promising applications in biology, medicine, and environmental monitoring.
KW - M
KW - O2 sensing
KW - Upconversion
KW - Luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET)
KW - Optical thermometry
KW - Mesoporous silica shell
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-625869
SN - 2574-0970
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.4c06351
VL - 8
SP - 854
EP - 862
PB - American Chemical Society (ACS)
AN - OPUS4-62586
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - McGonigle, Rebecca
A1 - Glasgow, Jodie
A1 - Houston, Catriona
A1 - Cameron, Iain
A1 - Homann, Christian
A1 - Black, Dominic J.
A1 - Pal, Robert
A1 - MacKenzie, Lewis E.
ED - MacKenzie, Lewis E.
T1 - Autoclave reactor synthesis of upconversion nanoparticles, unreported variables, and safety considerations
N2 - Autoclave reactors are widely used across chemical and biological sciences, including for the synthesis of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and other nanomaterials. Yet, the details of how autoclave reactors are used in such synthesis are rarely reported in the literature, leaving several key synthesis variables widely unreported and thereby hampering experimental reproducibility. In this perspective, we discuss the safety considerations of autoclave reactors and note that autoclaves should only be used if they are (a) purchased from reputable suppliers/manufacturers and (b) have been certified compliant with relevant safety standards. Ultimately, using unsuitable autoclave equipment can pose a severe physical hazard and may breach legal safety requirements. In addition, we highlight several parameters in autoclave synthesis that should be reported as standard to maximise the reproducibility of autoclave synthesis experiments across materials and chemistry research. We encourage users of autoclave synthesis vessels to: (1) adopt high-safety autoclaves and (2) report the many experimental variables involved to enhance experimental reproducibility.
KW - Reference material
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Shell
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Lifetime
KW - Decay kinetics
KW - Synthesis
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Method
KW - Energy transfer
KW - Upconversion
KW - Autoclave synthesis
KW - Data comparability
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-625672
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01415-3
VL - 8
IS - 1
SP - 1
EP - 7
PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC
AN - OPUS4-62567
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -