Upconversion nanoparticles for chemical, physical and biological sensing: from functionalization to point-of-care devices
- Among several applications, versatile upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) which can convert lower-energy infrared radiation into higher-energy visible or ultraviolet light, have emerged as one of the most powerful tools in the field of chemical, physical and biological sensing. The use of UCNPs in fluorescent sensors allows non-invasive, highly sensitive, and selective detection methods, which are particularly beneficial in environments requiring minimal interference and high precision for analytes that can range from metal ions to biomolecules. In this lecture, an overview and the state of the art will be given, accompanied by examples of our recent contributions to key areas such as chronic disease diagnostics, bacterial sensing, and multifunctionally responsive nanoplatforms: (1) An Enhanced Luminescence Lateral-Flow Assay (ELLA) designed for rapid (< 15 min) and early detection of acute kidney injury biomarkers in urine samples, using a commercial cell phone camera, will beAmong several applications, versatile upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) which can convert lower-energy infrared radiation into higher-energy visible or ultraviolet light, have emerged as one of the most powerful tools in the field of chemical, physical and biological sensing. The use of UCNPs in fluorescent sensors allows non-invasive, highly sensitive, and selective detection methods, which are particularly beneficial in environments requiring minimal interference and high precision for analytes that can range from metal ions to biomolecules. In this lecture, an overview and the state of the art will be given, accompanied by examples of our recent contributions to key areas such as chronic disease diagnostics, bacterial sensing, and multifunctionally responsive nanoplatforms: (1) An Enhanced Luminescence Lateral-Flow Assay (ELLA) designed for rapid (< 15 min) and early detection of acute kidney injury biomarkers in urine samples, using a commercial cell phone camera, will be presented. The platform is based on Er³⁺- and Tm³⁺-doped UCNPs whose emissions intensities are 40-fold enhanced by an Au-coated mesoporous silica shell, enabling the accurate detection of KIM-1 and NGAL biomarkers with detection limits as low as 0.23 ng/mL; (2) Also, a multifunctional nanoplatform that combines Tm³⁺-doped UCNPs with a Cu(I) complex for applications in oxygen sensing, optical thermometry, and emission colour tuning will be presented. The platform utilizes Luminescent Resonance Energy Transfer (LRET) to achieve efficient energy transfer, enabling red emission from the Cu(I) complex while allowing the use of the UCNP’s original emissions for thermometry. The dual functionality allows sensitive O2 detection and temperature measurements, with relative sensitivities of up to 1% K⁻¹; (3) The critical challenge of rapid bacterial detection and differentiation was addressed by the development of a novel UCNP-based sensor. By functionalizing UCNPs with the antibiotics - vancomycin for Gram-(+) and polymyxin-B for Gram-(-), and using Au nanoparticles as intensity quenchers, the sensor leverages a ratiometric "turn-on" mechanism for selective detection of the bacteria, through changes in the green/red (G/R) ratio for Er-UCNP@PEG4-Van, and blue/red (B/R) ratio for Tm-UCNP@PEG4-Poly. By this approach, differentiation was possible over a wide concentration range of bacteria (0.05 to 5 x 105 CFU/mL) with high correlation with actual bacterial counts (r = 0.99 for S. aureus, r = 0.91 for E. coli); (4) Recently, we have demonstrated a water dispersable ratiometric pH-nanosensor based on host-guest interaction of Tm3+/Yb3+ co-doped UCNPs functionalized with b-cyclodextrin (b-CD) and a pH-responsive nitrobenzoxadiazol dye modified with adamantane (NBD-Ad). The sensor shows a ratiometric emission response (blue/red) over a pH range of 8.0 – 11.0 with high reproducibility, excellent reusability and selectivity, even in the presence of interferents. Together, the presented examples highlight the versatility and potential of UCNPs to develop novel sensors, offering measurable advances in diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and beyond.…

